Methods and apparatus for dynamic control and utilization of quasi-licensed wireless spectrum

ABSTRACT

Methods and apparatus for providing quasi-licensed spectrum access within an area or venue. In one embodiment, the quasi-licensed spectrum utilizes 3.5 GHz CBRS (Citizens Broadband Radio Service) spectrum allocated by a Federal or commercial SAS (Spectrum Access System) to a managed content delivery network that includes one or more wireless access nodes (e.g., CBSDs and APs) in data communication with a controller. In one variant, the controller dynamically allocates (i) spectrum within the area or venue within CBRS bands, and (ii) MSO users or subscribers to CBRS bands or WLAN (e.g., public ISM) bands in to manage interference between the coexisting networks, and maximize user experience. In another variant, the controller cooperates with a provisioning server to implement a client device application program or “app” on MSO user or subscriber client devices which enables inter-RAT access.

PRIORITY

This application is a divisional of and claims priority to co-owned U.S.patent application Ser. No. 15/677,940 filed on Aug. 15, 2017 of thesame title, and issuing as U.S. Pat. No. 10,536,859 on Jan. 14, 2020,which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

COPYRIGHT

A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains materialthat is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has noobjection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent documentor the patent disclosure, as it appears in the Patent and

Trademark Office patent files or records, but otherwise reserves allcopyright rights whatsoever.

BACKGROUND 1. Technological Field

The present disclosure relates generally to the field of wirelessnetworks and specifically, in one or more exemplary embodiments, tomethods and apparatus for dynamically controlling and optimizingutilization of quasi-licensed radio frequency spectrum, such as forexample those providing connectivity via Citizens Broadband RadioService (CBRS) technologies.

2. Description of Related Technology

A multitude of wireless networking technologies, also known as RadioAccess Technologies (“RATs”), provide the underlying means of connectionfor radio-based communication networks to user devices. Such RATs oftenutilize licensed radio frequency spectrum (i.e., that allocated by theFCC per the Table of Frequency Allocations as codified at Section 2.106of the Commission's Rules. In the United States, regulatoryresponsibility for the radio spectrum is divided between the U.S.Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and the NationalTelecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA). The FCC, whichis an independent regulatory agency, administers spectrum fornon-Federal use (i.e., state, local government, commercial, privateinternal business, and personal use) and the NTIA, which is an operatingunit of the Department of Commerce, administers spectrum for Federal use(e.g., use by the Army, the FAA, and the FBI). Currently only frequencybands between 9 kHz and 275 GHz have been allocated (i.e., designatedfor use by one or more terrestrial or space radio communication servicesor the radio astronomy service under specified conditions). For example,a typical cellular service provider might utilize spectrum for so-called“3G” (third generation) and “4G” (fourth generation) wirelesscommunications as shown in Table 1 below:

TABLE 1 Technology Bands 3G 850 MHz Cellular, Band 5 (GSM/GPRS/EDGE).1900 MHz PCS, Band 2 (GSM/GPRS/EDGE). 850 MHz Cellular, Band 5(UMTS/HSPA+ up to 21 Mbit/s). 1900 MHz PCS, Band 2 (UMTS/HSPA+ up to 21Mbit/s). 4G 700 MHz Lower B/C, Band 12/17 (LTE). 850 MHz Cellular, Band5 (LTE). 1700/2100 MHz AWS, Band 4 (LTE). 1900 MHz PCS, Band 2 (LTE).2300 MHz WCS, Band 30 (LTE).

Alternatively, unlicensed spectrum may be utilized, such as that withinthe so-called ISM-bands. The industrial, scientific and medical (ISM)bands are defined by the ITU Radio Regulations (Article 5) in footnotes5.138, 5.150, and 5.280 of the Radio Regulations. In the United States,uses of the ISM bands are governed by Part 18 of the FederalCommunications Commission (FCC) rules, while Part 15 contains the rulesfor unlicensed communication devices, even those that share ISMfrequencies. Table 2 below shows typical ISM frequency allocations:

TABLE 2 Frequency Center range Type frequency Availability Licensedusers 6.765 MHz- A 6.78 MHz Subject to local Fixed service & mobile6.795 MHz acceptance service 13.553 MHz- B 13.56 MHz Worldwide Fixed &mobile services 13.567 MHz except aeronautical mobile (R) service 26.957MHz- B 27.12 MHz Worldwide Fixed & mobile service 27.283 MHz exceptaeronautical mobile service, CB radio 40.66 MHz- B 40.68 MHz WorldwideFixed, mobile services & 40.7 MHz earth exploration-satellite service433.05 MHz- A 433.92 MHz only in Region amateur service & 434.79 MHz 1,subject to radiolocation service, local acceptance additional apply theprovisions of footnote 5.280 902 MHz- B 915 MHz Region 2 only Fixed,mobile except 928 MHz (with some aeronautical mobile & exceptions)radiolocation service; in Region 2 additional amateur service 2.4 GHz- B2.45 GHz Worldwide Fixed, mobile, 2.5 GHz radiolocation, amateur &amateur-satellite service 5.725 GHz- B 5.8 GHz WorldwideFixed-satellite, 5.875 GHz radiolocation, mobile, amateur & amateur-satellite service 24 GHz- B 24.125 GHz Worldwide Amateur, amateur- 24.25GHz satellite, radiolocation & earth exploration-satellite service(active) 61 GHz- A 61.25 GHz Subject to local Fixed, inter-satellite,61.5 GHz acceptance mobile & radiolocation service 122 GHz- A 122.5 GHzSubject to local Earth exploration-satellite 123 GHz acceptance(passive), fixed, inter- satellite, mobile, space research (passive) &amateur service 244 GHz- A 245 GHz Subject to local Radiolocation, radio246 GHz acceptance astronomy, amateur & amateur-satellite service

ISM bands are also been shared with (non-ISM) license-freecommunications applications such as wireless sensor networks in the 915MHz and 2.450 GHz bands, as well as wireless LANs and cordless phones inthe 915 MHz, 2.450 GHz, and 5.800 GHz bands.

Additionally, the 5 GHz band has been allocated for use by, e.g., WLANequipment, as shown in Table 3:

TABLE 3 Dynamic Freq. Selection Band Name Frequency Band Required (DFS)?UNII-1 5.15 to 5.25 GHz No UNII-2 5.25 to 5.35 GHz Yes UNII-2 Extended5.47 to 5.725 GHz  Yes UNII-3 5.725 to 5.825 GHz  No

User client devices (e.g., smartphone, tablet, phablet, laptop,smartwatch, or other wireless-enabled devices, mobile or otherwise)generally support multiple RATs that enable the devices to connect toone another, or to networks (e.g., the Internet, intranets, orextranets), often including RATs associated with both licensed andunlicensed spectrum. In particular, wireless access to other networks byclient devices is made possible by wireless technologies that utilizenetworked hardware, such as a wireless access point (“WAP” or “AP”),small cells, femtocells, or cellular towers, serviced by a backend orbackhaul portion of service provider network (e.g., a cable network). Auser may generally access the network at a “hotspot,” a physicallocation at which the user may obtain access by connecting to modems,routers, APs, etc. that are within wireless range.

CBRS—

In 2016, the FCC made available Citizens Broadband Radio Service (CBRS)spectrum in the 3550-3700 MHz (3.5 GHz) band, making 150 MHz of spectrumavailable for mobile broadband and other commercial users. The CBRS isunique, in that it makes available a comparatively large amount ofspectrum (frequency bandwidth) without the need for expensive auctions,and without ties to a particular operator or service provider.

Moreover, the CBRS spectrum is suitable for shared use betweengovernment and commercial interests, based on a system of existing“incumbents,” including the Department of Defense (DoD) and fixedsatellite services. Specifically, a three-tiered access framework forthe 3.5 GHz is used; i.e., (i) an Incumbent Access tier 102, (ii)Priority Access tier 104, and (iii) General Authorized Access tier 106.See FIG. 1 . The three tiers are coordinated through one or more dynamicFederal Spectrum Access Systems (FSAS) 202 as shown in FIG. 2 .

Incumbent Access (existing DOD and satellite) users 102 includeauthorized federal and grandfathered Fixed Satellite Service (FSS) userscurrently operating in the 3.5 GHz band shown in FIG. 1 . These userswill be protected from harmful interference from Priority Access License(PAL) and General Authorized Access (GAA) users. The sensor networks,operated by Environmental Sensing Capability (ESC) operators, make surethat incumbents and others utilizing the spectrum are protected frominterference.

The Priority Access tier 104 (including acquisition of spectrum for upto three years through an auction process) consists of Priority AccessLicenses (PALs) that will be assigned using competitive bidding withinthe 3550-3650 MHz portion of the band. Each PAL is defined as anon-renewable authorization to use a 10 MHz channel in a single censustract for three years. Up to seven (7) total PALs may be assigned in anygiven census tract, with up to four PALs going to any single applicant.Applicants may acquire up to two-consecutive PAL terms in any givenlicense area during the first auction.

The General Authorized Access tier 106 (for any user with an authorized3.5 GHz device) is licensed-by-rule to permit open, flexible access tothe band for the widest possible group of potential users. GeneralAuthorized Access users are permitted to use any portion of the3550-3700 MHz band not assigned to a higher tier user and may alsooperate opportunistically on unused Priority Access channels. See FIG. 2a.

The FCC's three-tiered spectrum sharing architecture of FIG. 1 utilizes“fast-track” band (3550-3700 MHz) identified by PCAST and NTIA, whileTier 2 and 3 are regulated under a new Citizens Broadband Radio Service(CBRS). CBSDs (Citizens Broadband radio Service Devices—in effect,wireless access points) 206 (FIG. 2 ) can only operate under authorityof a centralized Spectrum Access System (SAS) 202. Rules are optimizedfor small-cell use, but also accommodate point-to-point andpoint-to-multipoint, especially in rural areas.

Under the FCC system, the standard FSAS 202 includes the followingelements: (1) CBSD registration; (2) interference analysis; (3)incumbent protection; (4) PAL license validation; (5) CBSD channelassignment; (6) CBSD power limits; (7) PAL protection; and (8)FSAS-to-FSAS coordination. As shown in FIG. 2 , these functions areprovided for by, inter alia, an incumbent detection (i.e., environmentalsensing) function 207 configured to detect use by incumbents, and anincumbent information function 209 configured to inform the incumbentwhen use by another user occurs. An FCC database 211 is also provided,such as for PAL license validation, CBSD registration, and otherfunctions.

An optional Domain Proxy (DP) 208 is also provided for in the FCCarchitecture. Each DP 208 includes: (1) SAS interface GW includingsecurity; (2) directive translation between CBSD 206 and domaincommands; (3) bulk CBSD directive processing; and (4) interferencecontribution reporting to the FSAS.

A domain is defined is any collection of CBSDs 206 that need to begrouped for management; e.g.: large enterprises, venues, stadiums, trainstations. Domains can be even larger/broader in scope, such as forexample a terrestrial operator network. Moreover, domains may or may notuse private addressing. A Domain Proxy (DP) 208 can aggregate controlinformation flows to Commercial SAS (CSAS), not shown, and generateperformance reports, channel requests, heartbeats, etc.

CBSDs 206 can generally be categorized as either Category A or CategoryB. Category A CBSDs have an EIRP or Equivalent Isotropic Radiated Powerof 30 dBm (1 Watt)/10 MHz, fixed indoor or outdoor location (with anantenna <6 m in length if outdoor). Category B CBSDs have 47 dBm EIRP(50 Watts)/10 MHz, and fixed outdoor location only. Professionalinstallation of Category B CBSDs is required, and the antenna must beless than 6 m in length. All CBSD's have a vertical positioning accuracyrequirement of +/−3 m. Terminals (i.e., user devices akin to UE) have 23dBm EIRP (0.2 Watts)/10 MHz requirements, and mobility of the terminalsis allowed.

In terms of spectral access, CBRS utilizes a time division duplex (TDD)multiple access architecture.

Unlicensed Spectrum Technologies—

Extant wireless technologies intended for use in the unlicensed spectrum(such as Wi-Fi and LTE-U and LTE-LAA) must coexist with other users inthose bands, and hence necessarily employ contention managementtechniques to help optimize performance. For example, Wi-Fi utilizes aback-off mechanism for collision avoidance known as carrier-sensemultiple access with collision avoidance (“CSMA/CA”). In particular,when a first network node or station receives a packet to be sent toanother node or station, Wi-Fi (according to, e.g., the prevailing802.11 standard under which the system operates) initiates physicalcarrier sensing and virtual carrier sensing mechanisms to determinewhether the medium (e.g., a channel and/or frequency used by the Wi-Fitransceiver) is busy or occupied by other transmissions (physical andvirtual carrier sensing). In addition to the conditions set by physicalcarrier sensing and virtual carrier sensing, the Wi-Fi CSMA/CA mayimpose further checks by a node to ensure that the channel on which thepacket is to be sent is clear.

Likewise, LTE-U collision avoidance mechanisms (at least in theory)attempt to choose a free or idle channel (i.e., not in use) in which noother LTE-U node or Wi-Fi AP is operating; if a free channel is notfound, the LTE-U node should apply duty cycle procedures that allow thenode to share a channel with Wi-Fi and other LTE-U signals. In somecircumstances, duty cycling parameters may be adapted to usage of othersignals, e.g., in response to Wi-Fi usage.

However, even with such mechanisms, increasing numbers of users (whetherusers of wireless interfaces of the aforementioned standards, or others)invariably lead to “crowding” of the spectrum, including interference.Interference may also exist from non-user sources such as solarradiation, electrical equipment, military uses, etc. In effect, a givenamount of spectrum has physical limitations on the amount of bandwidthit can provide, and as more users are added in parallel, each userpotentially experiences more interference and degradation ofperformance. Simply stated, contention management has limits on thebenefits it can provide.

Moreover, technologies such as Wi-Fi have limited range (due in part tothe unlicensed spectral power mask imposed in those bands), and maysuffer from spatial propagation variations (especially inside structuressuch as buildings) and deployment density issues. Wi-Fi has become soubiquitous that, especially in high-density scenarios such ashospitality units (e.g., hotels), enterprises, crowded venues, and thelike, the contention issues may be unmanageable, even with a plethora ofWi-Fi APs installed to compensate. Yet further, there is generally nocoordination between such APs, each in effect contending for bandwidthon its backhaul with others.

Additionally, lack of integration with other services provided by e.g.,a managed network operator, typically exists with unlicensed technologysuch as Wi-Fi. Wi-Fi typically acts as a “data pipe” opaquely carried bythe network operator/service provider.

Whether individually or collectively, the foregoing factors can resultin less-than-optimal user experience, since the coverage, reliability,and data throughput associated with the unlicensed technology may varysignificantly as a function of time, location, and application, andopportunities for integration with other services or functionality ofthe network operator are lost.

Something Else Needed—

In sum, despite the foregoing plethora of different wireless accesssolutions, each currently has significant restrictions, especially foran integrated network services provider such as a cable or satellite (orterrestrial) MSO. Acquisition of licensed spectrum is very costly,competitive, and time consuming. Conversely, existing ISM and otherunlicensed band solutions such as LTE-U and Wi-Fi, while avoiding manyof the aforementioned pitfalls of licensed spectrum use, may suffer fromtheir own set of disabilities as noted above.

Extant CBRS architectures, while promising from the standpoint ofreduced contention for spectrum, currently lack such network-widecoordination and integration, as well as implementation details enablingoptimization of user experience, especially for users of a multi-modecontent distribution network such as that of a cable, satellite, orterrestrial service operator.

SUMMARY

The present disclosure addresses the foregoing needs by providing, interalia, methods and apparatus for dynamically controlling access to andutilization of quasi-licensed spectrum (such as for example that ofCBRS).

In one aspect of the disclosure, a method for enhancing wirelessconnectivity for at least one mobile client device is described. In oneembodiment, the device includes first and second wireless interfacesconfigured to use first and second wireless protocols, respectively, andthe method includes: receiving indication that operation of the clientdevice using the first wireless interface within a first frequency bandis below a prescribed level of performance; evaluating availablespectrum within a second frequency band utilized by the second wirelessinterface; based at least one the evaluating, causing the client deviceto transition from the first wireless interface to the second wirelessinterface. In one variant, the first frequency band comprises anunlicensed band, and the second frequency band comprises aquasi-licensed band.

In one implementation, the first wireless interface comprises a wirelessLAN (WLAN) interface; the second wireless interface comprises a wirelessinterface compliant with a Long Term Evolution (LTE)-based standard; thefirst frequency band comprises an ISM band; the second frequency bandcomprises a CBRS band between 3.550 and 3.700 GHz; and the evaluatingavailable spectrum comprises determining a loading or use factor for theCBRS band. For example, the LTE standard may comprise at least one of(i) LTE/LTE-A (“standard” LTE); (ii) LTE-U (Long Term Evolution inunlicensed spectrum), and/or (iii) LTE-LAA (Long Term Evolution,Licensed Assisted Access).

In another implementation, the method further includes transmitting datato a domain proxy (DP), the DP configured to communicate at least aportion of the data to a Spectrum Access System (SAS) to obtain accessto the CBRS band.

In another variant, the receiving indication comprises receiving dataindicative of multiple failed connection attempts by the client deviceto connect to a wireless access point using the first wirelessinterface. For example, the data indicative of multiple failedconnection attempts by the client device to connect to a wireless accesspoint can be issued by the access point, the access point in datacommunication with a controller process, the controller processconfigured to perform at least the evaluating.

In another variant, causing the client device to transition from thefirst wireless interface to the second wireless interface comprisestransmitting via the first wireless interface data to a computerapplication program operative to run on the client device, the datacomprising data enabling the client device to utilize the secondwireless interface, and the data enabling the client device to utilizethe second wireless interface comprises at least data indicating one ormore CBRS bands to be utilized by the second wireless interface.

In yet another variant, the receiving indication comprises receivingdata issued by a wireless access point with which the first wirelessinterface is in data communication, the wireless access point in datacommunication with a controller process, the controller processconfigured to perform at least the evaluating; and the method furtherincludes: causing, based at least on the receiving indication, at leastone of (i) the client device, and/or (ii) the wireless access point, toimplement one or more configuration changes to increase the performance;and based on the implemented one or more configuration changes notincreasing the performance to or above the prescribed level, performingthe evaluating.

In still a further variant, the evaluating available spectrum within asecond frequency band utilized by the second wireless interfacecomprises using a radio transceiver of a CBSD access node to provideinterference data for the second frequency band to a network controller,the controller causing the client device to transition from the firstwireless interface to the second wireless interface based on theevaluating of the interference data indicating an acceptable level ofinterference.

In another aspect of the disclosure, a controller apparatus for usewithin a managed content delivery network is described. In oneembodiment, the controller apparatus is configured to manage CBRS(Citizens Broadband Radio Service) wireless connectivity to one or morewireless-enabled devices utilized within a prescribed venue, andincludes: a processor apparatus; and a storage apparatus in datacommunication with the processor apparatus and having a non-transitorycomputer-readable storage medium, the storage medium comprising at leastone computer program having a plurality of instructions stored thereon.In one variant, the plurality of instructions are configured to, whenexecuted by the processor apparatus, cause the controller apparatus to:detect congestion within an unlicensed frequency band utilized by theone or more wireless-enabled devices within the venue; based on thedetection, obtain access for the one or more wireless-enabled devices toa quasi-licensed frequency band; and cause transmission of dataallocating at least a portion of the quasi-licensed frequency band tothe one or more wireless-enabled devices, the data enabling the one ormore wireless-enabled devices to utilize the at least a portion of thequasi-licensed frequency band.

In one implementation, the one or more wireless-enabled devices comprisea plurality of multi-RAT capable wireless-enabled devices of respectiveones of subscribers of a network operator, and the allocating at least aportion of the quasi-licensed frequency band to the one or morewireless-enabled devices comprises allocating a plurality of sub-bandswithin the quasi-licensed frequency band to respective ones of theplurality of multi-RAT capable wireless-enabled devices of respectiveones of subscribers of the network operator only.

In another implementation, the one or more wireless-enabled devicescomprise a plurality of multi-RAT (Radio Area Technology) capablewireless-enabled devices of respective ones of subscribers of a networkoperator, and the allocating at least a portion of the quasi-licensedfrequency band to the one or more wireless-enabled devices comprisescausing the respective ones of the plurality of multi-RAT capablewireless-enabled devices of respective ones of subscribers of thenetwork operator to utilize a contention management protocol associatewith one RAT to obtain access to a respective portion of thequasi-licensed frequency band; e.g., at least a portion of one or moreof LTE bands 42 or 43. The one RAT can include for instance an LTE/LTE-Atechnology. Alternatively, an LTE-U (Long Term Evolution in unlicensedspectrum), and/or LTE-LAA (Long Term Evolution, Licensed AssistedAccess) RAT can be used, and implement a listen-before-talk (LBT)contention management protocol.

In another implementation, the detection of congestion within anunlicensed frequency band utilized by the one or more wireless-enableddevices within the venue comprises detection of reduced radio linkperformance associated with a first data session established using afirst wireless interface of at least one of the one or more wirelessenabled devices; and the data enabling the one or more wireless-enableddevices to utilize the at least a portion of the quasi-licensedfrequency band comprises data enabling the at least one wireless enableddevice to utilize the quasi-licensed frequency band via a secondwireless interface, the utilization of the second wireless interfacecomprising maintaining the first data session via at least one layerabove a PHY layer.

In a further aspect of the disclosure, a networked system configured toprovide quasi-licensed wireless connectivity to a plurality ofwireless-enabled user devices located within a venue is disclosed. Inone embodiment, the system includes: wireless access node apparatus, thewireless access node apparatus disposed at least partly within the venueand comprising a first wireless interface capable of (i) utilizing atleast a portion of quasi-licensed radio frequency (RF) spectrum for datacommunications between the plurality of user devices and a networkentity, and (ii) generating data relating to signal interference withinthe at least a portion of quasi-licensed radio frequency (RF) spectrum;and a controller apparatus in data communication with the access nodeapparatus, the controller apparatus comprising a wireless accessmanagement process. In one variant, the controller apparatus isconfigured to: obtain the data relating to signal interference withinthe at least a portion of quasi-licensed radio frequency (RF) spectrum;evaluate the obtained data to identify one or more sub-bands ofinterest; cause generation of a message to request allocation of the oneor more sub-bands; receive one or more messages responsive to therequest message, the one or more received messages indicative ofallocation of at least one of the one or more sub-bands; and causeallocation of a plurality of carriers within the allocated one or moresub-bands to respective ones of the plurality of user devices.

In one implementation, the evaluation of the obtained data to identifyone or more sub-bands of interest includes: generating an interferenceversus frequency analysis; and identifying the one or more sub-bands ofinterest based on lower levels of interference in the one or moresub-bands of interest as compared to one or more other sub-bands. Inanother implementation, the allocation of a plurality of carriers withinthe allocated one or more sub-bands to respective ones of the pluralityof user devices includes: accessing a subscriber database to identifytwo or more of the plurality of user devices associated with subscribersof the network operator; and preferentially allocating the plurality ofcarriers first to the identified two or more plurality of user devicesbefore further allocation is conducted.

In a further implementation, the system includes user deviceprovisioning apparatus, the provisioning apparatus in data communicationwith the controller apparatus and configured to at least provision onesof the plurality of user devices that are associated with subscribers ofthe network operator, the provisioning comprising providing downloadablesoftware for installation on the plurality of user devices associatedwith subscribers of the network operator such that communication betweenthe software and the controller apparatus is enabled.

In another aspect, methods for user access to CBRS services via amanaged content distribution network are disclosed. In one embodiment,the methods include evaluating user network access requests, andallocating available (e.g., SAS-allocated) resources within aquasi-licensed band so as to mitigate resource contention.

In an additional aspect of the disclosure, computer readable apparatusis described. In one embodiment, the apparatus includes a storage mediumconfigured to store one or more computer programs. In one embodiment,the apparatus comprises a program memory or HDD or SDD on a computerizedcontroller device. In another embodiment, the apparatus comprises aprogram memory, HDD or SSD on a computerized access node (e.g., CBSD).In yet another embodiment, the apparatus comprises a program memory, HDDor SSD on a wireless-enabled mobile user device.

In another aspect of the disclosure, methods for user experienceoptimization are disclosed.

In an additional aspect of the disclosure, methods for network operatormanagement of loss of WLAN service are disclosed.

In a further aspect of the present disclosure, business methods forenabling an alternative type of wireless connectivity to one or moreuser devices are provided.

In a further aspect of the present disclosure, business methods forcollecting data usage information via wireless connectivity provided toone or more user devices are provided.

In another aspect of the invention, apparatus for optimizing RAT usageand selection for users of a given venue or area is disclosed. In oneembodiment, the apparatus includes both WLAN and CBRS-LTE stacks andinterfaces, and is controlled by logic in order to optimize performancevia selection of one or the other interface based on operational orother considerations. In one implementation, the logic is implemented byan MSO controller co-located at least in part with one or more CBSDswithin the venue.

In yet another aspect of the disclosure, a method of managing withdrawalof one or more frequency bands from use by a plurality of access nodesis disclosed. In one embodiment, the plurality of nodes comprises acluster of small cells, and the method includes withdrawal of the one ormore bands in orderly manner across the cluster based on a plurality ofoperational considerations. In one variant, the considerations include:(i) a number of UEs connected to individual cells, (ii) a possibility ofmoving the UEs to one or more neighbor cells in the cluster, and (iii)an amount of data passing through different access band/technologies.

In one implementation, an iterative or progressive approach is utilizedwherein a cell with more connected UEs will be offered to hand over itsUEs to the one or more neighbor cells in a prescribed order until allthe required small cells are compliant with the required change. Thisapproach advantageously mitigates disruptions caused by channelwithdrawal, and optimizes the network across multiple bands and accesstechnologies.

In another implementation, the inter-cell handovers are conducted inorder to maintain QoS (quality of service) requirements for usersapplications (or QoS policy invoked by the network operator), and tominimize the disruption to the relevant MNO operator network cores.

These and other aspects shall become apparent when considered in lightof the disclosure provided herein.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a graphical illustration of prior art CBRS (Citizens BroadbandRadio Service) users and their relationship to allocated frequencyspectrum in the 3.550 to 3.700 GHz band.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a general architecture for theCBRS system of the prior art.

FIG. 2 a is a graphical representation of allocations for PAL versus GAAusers within the frequency band of FIG. 2 .

FIG. 3 a is a functional block diagram illustrating an exemplary hybridfiber network configuration useful with various aspects of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 3 b is a functional block diagram of an exemplary packetizedcontent network architecture useful in conjunction with variousprinciples described herein.

FIG. 4 a is a functional block diagram of a first exemplary embodimentof a wireless network infrastructure useful with various aspects of thepresent disclosure.

FIG. 4 a -1 is a graphical representation of a first exemplaryembodiment of a software architecture useful with the architecture ofFIG. 4 a.

FIG. 4 b is a functional block diagram of a second exemplary embodimentof a wireless network infrastructure including distributed controllerfunctionality and client provisioning, useful with various aspects ofthe present disclosure.

FIG. 4 b -1 is a graphical representation of a first exemplaryembodiment of a software architecture useful with the architecture ofFIG. 4 b.

FIG. 4 c is a functional block diagram of a third exemplary embodimentof a wireless network infrastructure including unified CBRS and WLANcontrol, useful with various aspects of the present disclosure.

FIG. 5 is logical flow diagram of an exemplary method for enablingconnectivity via a quasi-licensed band (e.g., CBRS) according to thepresent disclosure.

FIG. 5 a is logical flow diagram of an exemplary implementation of amethod for compensating for CBRS band withdrawal by a SAS.

FIG. 5 b is logical flow diagram of an exemplary implementation of amethod for enabling connectivity of CBRS spectrum in a WLAN/CBRSco-existence environment.

FIG. 5 c is a logical flow diagram of an exemplary implementation of amethod of client device management within a multi-node wireless networkaccording to the present disclosure.

FIG. 6 a is a ladder diagram illustrating a first embodiment of acommunication flow for establishing quasi-licensed band communication inaccordance with the methods of the present disclosure.

FIG. 6 b is a ladder diagram illustrating a second embodiment of acommunication flow for establishing quasi-licensed band communication inaccordance with the methods of the present disclosure.

FIG. 6 c is a ladder diagram illustrating a third embodiment of acommunication flow for establishing quasi-licensed band communication inaccordance with the methods of the present disclosure.

FIG. 7 a is a functional block diagram illustrating a first exemplaryembodiment of an MSO CBRS controller apparatus useful with variousembodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 7 b is a functional block diagram illustrating a second exemplaryembodiment of an MSO CBRS controller apparatus useful with variousembodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 7 c is a functional block diagram illustrating a third exemplaryembodiment of an MSO CBRS controller apparatus useful with variousembodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 8 a is a functional block diagram illustrating an exemplaryCitizens Broadband radio Service Device (CBSD) useful with variousembodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 8 b is a functional block diagram illustrating another embodimentof an exemplary Citizens Broadband radio Service Device (CBSD) includingWLAN AP functionality, useful with various embodiments of the presentdisclosure.

All figures © Copyright 2017 Charter Communications Operating, LLC. Allrights reserved.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Reference is now made to the drawings wherein like numerals refer tolike parts throughout.

As used herein, the term “access node” refers generally and withoutlimitation to a network node which enables communication between a useror client device and another entity within a network, such as forexample a CBRS CBSD, a Wi-Fi AP, or a Wi-Fi-Direct enabled client orother device acting as a Group Owner (GO).

As used herein, the term “application” (or “app”) refers generally andwithout limitation to a unit of executable software that implements acertain functionality or theme. The themes of applications vary broadlyacross any number of disciplines and functions (such as on-demandcontent management, e-commerce transactions, brokerage transactions,home entertainment, calculator etc.), and one application may have morethan one theme. The unit of executable software generally runs in apredetermined environment; for example, the unit could include adownloadable Java Xlet™ that runs within the JavaTV™ environment.

As used herein, the terms “client device” or “user device” or “UE”include, but are not limited to, set-top boxes (e.g., DSTBs), gateways,modems, personal computers (PCs), and minicomputers, whether desktop,laptop, or otherwise, and mobile devices such as handheld computers,PDAs, personal media devices (PMDs), tablets, “phablets”, smartphones,and vehicle infotainment systems or portions thereof.

As used herein, the term “codec” refers to a video, audio, or other datacoding and/or decoding algorithm, process or apparatus including,without limitation, those of the MPEG (e.g., MPEG-1, MPEG-2,MPEG-4/H.264, H.265, etc.), Real (RealVideo, etc.), AC-3 (audio), DiVX,XViD/ViDX, Windows Media Video (e.g., WMV 7, 8, 9, 10, or 11), ATI Videocodec, or VC-1 (SMPTE standard 421M) families.

As used herein, the term “computer program” or “software” is meant toinclude any sequence or human or machine cognizable steps which performa function. Such program may be rendered in virtually any programminglanguage or environment including, for example, C/C++, Fortran, COBOL,PASCAL, assembly language, markup languages (e.g., HTML, SGML, XML,VoXML), and the like, as well as object-oriented environments such asthe Common Object Request Broker Architecture (CORBA), Java™ (includingJ2ME, Java Beans, etc.) and the like.

As used herein, the term “DOCSIS” refers to any of the existing orplanned variants of the Data Over Cable Services InterfaceSpecification, including for example DOCSIS versions 1.0, 1.1, 2.0, 3.0and 3.1.

As used herein, the term “headend” or “backend” refers generally to anetworked system controlled by an operator (e.g., an MSO) thatdistributes programming to MSO clientele using client devices. Suchprogramming may include literally any information source/receiverincluding, inter alia, free-to-air TV channels, pay TV channels,interactive TV, over-the-top services, streaming services, and theInternet.

As used herein, the terms “Internet” and “internet” are usedinterchangeably to refer to inter-networks including, withoutlimitation, the Internet. Other common examples include but are notlimited to: a network of external servers, “cloud” entities (such asmemory or storage not local to a device, storage generally accessible atany time via a network connection, and the like), service nodes, accesspoints, controller devices, client devices, etc.

As used herein, the term “LTE” refers to, without limitation and asapplicable, any of the variants or Releases of the Long-Term Evolutionwireless communication standard, including LTE-U (Long Term Evolution inunlicensed spectrum), LTE-LAA (Long Term Evolution, Licensed AssistedAccess), LTE-A (LTE Advanced), 4G LTE, WiMAX, and other wireless datastandards, including GSM, UMTS, CDMA2000, etc. (as applicable). As usedherein, the term “memory” includes any type of integrated circuit orother storage device adapted for storing digital data including, withoutlimitation, ROM, PROM, EEPROM, DRAM, SDRAM, DDR/2 SDRAM, EDO/FPMS,RLDRAM, SRAM, “flash” memory (e.g., NAND/NOR), 3D memory, and PSRAM.

As used herein, the terms “microprocessor” and “processor” or “digitalprocessor” are meant generally to include all types of digitalprocessing devices including, without limitation, digital signalprocessors (DSPs), reduced instruction set computers (RISC),general-purpose (CISC) processors, microprocessors, gate arrays (e.g.,FPGAs), PLDs, reconfigurable computer fabrics (RCFs), array processors,secure microprocessors, and application-specific integrated circuits(ASICs). Such digital processors may be contained on a single unitary ICdie, or distributed across multiple components.

As used herein, the terms “MSO” or “multiple systems operator” refer toa cable, satellite, or terrestrial network provider havinginfrastructure required to deliver services including programming anddata over those mediums.

As used herein, the terms “network” and “bearer network” refer generallyto any type of telecommunications or data network including, withoutlimitation, hybrid fiber coax (HFC) networks, satellite networks, telconetworks, and data networks (including MANs, WANs, LANs, WLANs,internets, and intranets). Such networks or portions thereof may utilizeany one or more different topologies (e.g., ring, bus, star, loop,etc.), transmission media (e.g., wired/RF cable, RF wireless, millimeterwave, optical, etc.) and/or communications or networking protocols(e.g., SONET, DOCSIS, IEEE Std. 802.3, ATM, X.25, Frame Relay, 3GPP,3GPP2, WAP, SIP, UDP, FTP, RTP/RTCP, H.323, etc.).

As used herein, the term “network interface” refers to any signal ordata interface with a component or network including, withoutlimitation, those of the FireWire (e.g., FW400, FW800, etc.), USB (e.g.,USB 2.0, 3.0. OTG), Ethernet (e.g., 10/100, 10/100/1000 (GigabitEthernet), 10-Gig-E, etc.), MoCA, Coaxsys (e.g., TVnet™), radiofrequency tuner (e.g., in-band or OOB, cable modem, etc.), LTE/LTE-A,Wi-Fi (802.11), WiMAX (802.16), Z-wave, PAN (e.g., 802.15), or powerline carrier (PLC) families.

As used herein, the term “QAM” refers to modulation schemes used forsending signals over e.g., cable or other networks. Such modulationscheme might use any constellation level (e.g. QPSK, 16-QAM, 64-QAM,256-QAM, etc.) depending on details of a network. A QAM may also referto a physical channel modulated according to the schemes.

As used herein, the term “server” refers to any computerized component,system or entity regardless of form which is adapted to provide data,files, applications, content, or other services to one or more otherdevices or entities on a computer network.

As used herein, the term “storage” refers to without limitation computerhard drives, DVR device, memory, RAID devices or arrays, optical media(e.g., CD-ROMs, Laserdiscs, Blu-Ray, etc.), or any other devices ormedia capable of storing content or other information.

As used herein, the term “Wi-Fi” refers to, without limitation and asapplicable, any of the variants of IEEE Std. 802.11 or related standardsincluding 802.11 a/b/g/n/s/v/ac or 802.11-2012/2013, as well as Wi-FiDirect (including inter alia, the “Wi-Fi Peer-to-Peer (P2P)Specification”, incorporated herein by reference in its entirety).

As used herein, the term “wireless” means any wireless signal, data,communication, or other interface including without limitation Wi-Fi,Bluetooth/BLE, 3G (3GPP/3GPP2), HSDPA/HSUPA, TDMA, CDMA (e.g., IS-95A,WCDMA, etc.), FHSS, DSSS, GSM, PAN/802.15, WiMAX (802.16), 802.20,Zigbee®, Z-wave, narrowband/FDMA, OFDM, PCS/DCS,LTE/LTE-A/LTE-U/LTE-LAA, analog cellular, CDPD, satellite systems,millimeter wave or microwave systems, acoustic, and infrared (i.e.,IrDA).

Overview

In one exemplary aspect, the present disclosure provides improvedmethods and apparatus for wireless network access using, for example,“quasi-licensed” spectrum such as that provided by the recent CBRStechnology initiatives. In an exemplary implementation, a networkarchitecture is provided which leverages an MSO's extant distributionand backhaul capability to collect and exchange metrics between SAS,access networks (comprising of CBRS and other bands), accesstechnologies such as LTE and Wi-Fi), DOCSIS and core networks, andexecute a control and optimization function to enhance performance anduser experience to its subscribers (and even non-subscriber “ad hoc”users), or otherwise provide wireless coverage where it would beotherwise not available.

In one implementation, extant TD-LTE (Long Term Evolution) technology isleveraged within the available CBRS band(s) for improved venue (e.g.,in-building) coverage and capacity augmentation for other unlicensedsystems operating in other bands such as Wi-Fi. This provides thenetwork operator (e.g., MSO) and its users with a number of benefits,including inter alia: (i) obviating any need to adopt custom technology(e.g., a new air interface, and the new user mobile devices and MSOinfrastructure that are necessitated thereby); (ii) reduced interference(and hence better user experience) due to less “crowding” in the lightlyused CBRS quasi-licensed bands; (iii) a complementary or “fallback”capability to the MSO's extant WLAN services (e.g., when CBRS providesbetter user experience than Wi-Fi, or Wi-Fi infrastructure is over-taxedor cannot meet service demands in certain areas or venues); and (iv) amore “Wi-Fi-like” business model (i.e., as compared to traditionalcellular/licensed spectrum options).

The ability for the MSO to acquire ‘temporary’ licenses also providesfor new use cases not currently available to the MSO; for example,event-driven capacity and coverage augmentation when the MSO is to hostvenues (e.g., arenas, conference complexes), or supports industrieswhere location-specific services are provided, such as e.g., thehospitality industry.

Specifically, in one embodiment, the present disclosure provides methodsand corresponding architecture to combine CBRS SAS channel allocationsacross a cluster (two or more) of CBRS small-cells to optimize resourceallocations across the MSO network core and RANs (including Wi-Fi andCBRS RANs). In some implementations thereof, so-called “SON” orSelf-Organizing Network functions are leveraged to enhance the resourceallocations, and provide other desirable functionality such as automatedand dynamic self-healing in cases of loss of connectivity by MSO usersor subscribers.

Similarly, the present disclosure provides mechanisms to minimizedisruptions across CBRS channel changes and/or channel withdrawals bySAS (such as via DoD assets requiring use of the spectrum), including inone implementation a “look ahead” or channel planning function whichconstantly evaluates available spectral assets in case a frequencychange/withdrawal is encountered.

Detailed Description of Exemplary Embodiments

Exemplary embodiments of the apparatus and methods of the presentdisclosure are now described in detail. While these exemplaryembodiments are described in the context of the previously mentionedwireless access points (e.g., CBSDs and WLAN APs) associated with amanaged network (e.g., hybrid fiber coax (HFC) cable architecture havinga multiple systems operator (MSO), digital networking capability, IPdelivery capability, and a plurality of client devices), the generalprinciples and advantages of the disclosure may be extended to othertypes of radio access technologies (“RATs”), networks and architecturesthat are configured to deliver digital data (e.g., text, images, games,software applications, video and/or audio). Such other networks orarchitectures may be broadband, narrowband, or otherwise, the followingtherefore being merely exemplary in nature.

It will also be appreciated that while described generally in thecontext of a network providing service to a customer or consumer or enduser (i.e., within a prescribed venue, or other type of premises), thepresent disclosure may be readily adapted to other types of environmentsincluding, e.g., outdoors, commercial/retail, or enterprise domain(e.g., businesses), or even governmental uses, such as those outside theproscribed “incumbent” users such as U.S. DoD and the like. Yet otherapplications are possible. Also, while certain aspects are describedprimarily in the context of the well-known

Internet Protocol (described in, inter alia, Internet Protocol DARPAInternet Program Protocol Specification, IETF RCF 791 (September 1981)and Deering et al., Internet Protocol, Version 6 (IPv6) Specification,IETF RFC 2460 (December 1998), each of which is incorporated herein byreference in its entirety), it will be appreciated that the presentdisclosure may utilize other types of protocols (and in fact bearernetworks to include other internets and intranets) to implement thedescribed functionality.

Moreover, while the current SAS framework is configured to allocatespectrum in the 3.5 GHz band (specifically 3,550 to 3,700 MHz), it willbe appreciated by those of ordinary skill when provided the presentdisclosure that the methods and apparatus described herein may beconfigured to utilize other “quasi licensed” or other spectrum,including without limitations above 4.0 GHz (e.g., currently proposedallocations up to 4.2 GHz).

Other features and advantages of the present disclosure will immediatelybe recognized by persons of ordinary skill in the art with reference tothe attached drawings and detailed description of exemplary embodimentsas given below.

Service Provider Network—

FIG. 3 a illustrates a typical service provider network configurationuseful with the features of the CBRS-based wireless network(s) describedherein. This service provider network 300 is used in one embodiment ofthe disclosure to provide backbone and Internet access from the serviceprovider's wireless access nodes (e.g., CBSDs, Wi-Fi APs or basestations 314 operated or maintained by the service provider or itscustomers/subscribers), one or more stand-alone or embedded cable modems(CMs) 312, 313 in data communication therewith, or even third partyaccess points accessible to the service provider via, e.g., aninterposed network such as the Internet 311 (e.g., with appropriatepermissions from the access node owner/operator/user).

As described in greater detail subsequently herein with respect to FIG.4 a , one or more controllers 310 are utilized for, inter alia, controlof the wireless network access nodes 314 at least partly by the MSO. Asopposed to an unmanaged network, the managed service-provider network300 of FIG. 3 a advantageously allows, inter alia, control andmanagement of a given user's access (such user which may be a networksubscriber, or merely an incidental/opportunistic user of the service)via the wireless access node(s) 314, including imposition and/orreconfiguration of various access “rules” or other configurationsapplied to the wireless access nodes. For example, the service providernetwork 300 allows components at an indoor venue of interest (e.g.,CBSDs, Wi-Fi APs and any supporting infrastructure such as routers,switches, etc.) to be remotely reconfigured by the network MSO, based one.g., prevailing operational conditions in the network, changes in userpopulation and/or makeup of users at the venue, business models (e.g.,to maximize profitability or provide other benefits such as enhanceduser experience, as described infra), spectrum channel changes orwithdrawals, or even simply to enhance user experience using one RAT(e.g., CBRS) when another RAT (e.g., WLAN is sub-optimal for whateverreason).

In certain embodiments, the service provider network 300 alsoadvantageously permits the aggregation and/or analysis of subscriber- oraccount-specific data (including inter alia, particular mobile devicesassociated with such subscriber or accounts) as part of the provision ofservices to users under the exemplary delivery models described herein.As but one example, device-specific IDs (e.g., MAC address or the like)can be cross-correlated to MSO subscriber data maintained at e.g., thenetwork head end(s) 307 so as to permit or at least facilitate, amongother things, (i) user authentication; (ii) correlation of aspects ofthe event or venue to particular subscriber demographics, such as fordelivery of targeted advertising; and (iii) determination ofsubscription level, and hence subscriber privileges and access tocontent/features. Moreover, device profiles for particular user devicescan be maintained by the MSO, such that the MSO (or its automated proxyprocesses) can model the user device for wireless capabilities.

The wireless access nodes 314 disposed at the service location(s) (e.g.,venue(s) of interest) can be coupled to the bearer managed network 300(FIG. 3 a ) via, e.g., a cable modem termination system (CMTS) andassociated local DOCSIS cable modem (CM) 312, 313, a wireless bearermedium (e.g., an 802.16 WiMAX or millimeter wave system—not shown), afiber-based system such as FiOS or similar, a third-party medium whichthe managed network operator has access to (which may include any of theforegoing), or yet other means.

The various components of the exemplary embodiment of the network 300generally include (i) one or more data and application originationsources 302; (ii) one or more content sources 303, (iii) one or moreapplication distribution servers 304; (iv) one or more video-on-demand(VOD) servers 305, (v) client devices 306, (vi) one or more routers 308,(vii) one or more wireless access node controllers 310 (may be placedmore locally as shown or in the headend or “core” portion of network),(viii) one or more cable modems 312, 313, and/or (ix) one or more accessnodes 314. The application server(s) 304, VOD servers 305 and clientdevice(s) 306 are connected via a bearer (e.g., HFC) network 301. Asimple architecture comprising one of each of certain components 302,303, 304, 305, 308, 310 is shown in FIG. 3 a for simplicity, although itwill be recognized that comparable architectures with multipleorigination sources, distribution servers, VOD servers, controllers,and/or client devices (as well as different network topologies) may beutilized consistent with the present disclosure.

It is also noted that cable network architecture is typically a“tree-and-branch” structure, and hence multiple tiered access nodes 314(and other components) may be linked to each other or cascaded via suchstructure.

FIG. 3 b illustrates an exemplary high-level MSO network architecturefor the delivery of packetized content (e.g., encoded digital contentcarried within a packet or frame structure or protocol) that may beuseful with the various aspects of the present disclosure. In additionto on-demand and broadcast content (e.g., live video programming), thesystem of FIG. 3 b may deliver Internet data and OTT (over-the-top)services to the end users (including those of the access nodes 314) viathe Internet protocol (IP) and TCP, although other protocols andtransport mechanisms of the type well known in the digital communicationart may be substituted.

The network architecture 320 of FIG. 3 b generally comprises one or moreheadends 307 in communication with at least one hub 317 via an opticalring 337. The distribution hub 317 is able to provide content to varioususer/client devices 306, and gateway devices 360 as applicable, via aninterposed network infrastructure 345.

As described in greater detail below, various content sources 303, 303 aare used to provide content to content servers 304, 305 and originservers 321. For example, content may be received from a local,regional, or network content library as discussed in co-owned U.S. Pat.No. 8,997,136 entitled “APPARATUS AND METHODS FOR PACKETIZED CONTENTDELIVERY OVER A BANDWIDTH-EFFICIENT NETWORK”, which is incorporatedherein by reference in its entirety. Alternatively, content may bereceived from linear analog or digital feeds, as well as third partycontent sources. Internet content sources 303 a (such as e.g., a webserver) provide Internet content to a packetized content originserver(s) 321. Other IP content may also be received at the originserver(s) 321, such as voice over IP (VoIP) and/or IPTV content. Contentmay also be received from subscriber and non-subscriber devices (e.g., aPC or smartphone-originated user made video).

The centralized media server(s) 321, 304 located in the headend 307 mayalso be replaced with or used in tandem with (e.g., as a backup) to hubmedia servers (not shown) in one alternative configuration. Bydistributing the servers to the hub stations 317, the size of the fibertransport network associated with delivering VOD services from thecentral headend media server is advantageously reduced. Multiple pathsand channels are available for content and data distribution to eachuser, assuring high system reliability and enhanced asset availability.Substantial cost benefits are derived from the reduced need for a largecontent distribution network, and the reduced storage capacityrequirements for hub servers (by virtue of the hub servers having tostore and distribute less content).

It will also be recognized that a heterogeneous or mixed server approachmay be utilized consistent with the disclosure. For example, one serverconfiguration or architecture may be used for servicing cable,satellite, etc., subscriber CPE-based session requests (e.g., from auser's DSTB or the like), while a different configuration orarchitecture may be used for servicing mobile client requests.Similarly, the content servers 321, 304 may either besingle-purpose/dedicated (e.g., where a given server is dedicated onlyto servicing certain types of requests), or alternatively multi-purpose(e.g., where a given server is capable of servicing requests fromdifferent sources).

The network architecture 320 of FIG. 3 b may further include a legacymultiplexer/encrypter/modulator (MEM; not shown). In the presentcontext, the content server 304 and packetized content server 321 may becoupled via a LAN to a headend switching device 322 such as an 802.3zGigabit Ethernet (or “10G”) device. For downstream delivery via the MSOinfrastructure (i.e., QAMs), video and audio content is multiplexed atthe headend 307 and transmitted to the edge switch device 338 (which mayalso comprise an 802.3z Gigabit Ethernet device) via the optical ring337.

In one exemplary content delivery paradigm, MPEG-based video content(e.g., MPEG-2, H.264/AVC) may be delivered to user IP-based clientdevices over the relevant physical transport (e.g., DOCSIS channels);that is as MPEG-over-IP-over-MPEG. Specifically, the higher layer MPEGor other encoded content may be encapsulated using an IP network-layerprotocol, which then utilizes an MPEG packetization/container format ofthe type well known in the art for delivery over the RF channels orother transport, such as via a multiplexed transport stream (MPTS). Inthis fashion, a parallel delivery mode to the normal broadcast deliveryexists; e.g., in the cable paradigm, delivery of video content both overtraditional downstream QAMs to the tuner of the user's DSTB or otherreceiver device for viewing on the television, and also as packetized IPdata over the DOCSIS QAMs to the user's PC or other IP-enabled devicevia the user's cable modem 312 (including to end users of the accessnode 314). Delivery in such packetized modes may be unicast, multicast,or broadcast.

Delivery of the IP-encapsulated data may also occur over the non-DOC SISQAMs, such as via IPTV or similar models with QoS applied.

Individual client devices such as cable modems 312 and associatedend-user devices 306 a, 306 b of the implementation of FIG. 3 b may beconfigured to monitor the particular assigned RF channel (such as via aport or socket ID/address, or other such mechanism) for IP packetsintended for the subscriber premises/address that they serve. The IPpackets associated with Internet services are received by edge switch,and forwarded to the cable modem termination system (CMTS) 339. The CMTSexamines the packets, and forwards packets intended for the localnetwork to the edge switch. Other packets are in one variant discardedor routed to another component.

The edge switch forwards the packets receive from the CMTS to the QAMmodulator, which transmits the packets on one or more physical(QAM-modulated RF) channels to the client devices. The IP packets aretypically transmitted on RF channels that are different than the “inband” RF channels used for the broadcast video and audio programming,although this is not a requirement. As noted above, the premises devicessuch as cable modems 312 are each configured to monitor the particularassigned RF channel (such as via a port or socket ID/address, or othersuch mechanism) for IP packets intended for the subscriberpremises/address that they serve.

In one embodiment, both IP data content and IP-packetized audio/videocontent is delivered to a user via one or more universal edge QAMdevices 340. According to this embodiment, all of the content isdelivered on DOCSIS channels, which are received by a premises gateway360 or cable modem 312, and distributed to one or more respective clientdevices/UEs 306 a, 306 b, 306 c in communication therewith.

In one implementation, the CM 312 shown in FIG. 3 b services a venue,such as a conference center or hospitality structure (e.g., hotel),which includes a CBRS node 314 a for CBRS-band (3.5 GHz) access, and aWLAN (e.g., Wi-Fi) node 314 b for WLAN access (e.g., within 2.4 GHz ISMband). Notably, the client devices 306 c communicating with the accessnodes 314 a, 314 b, as described in greater detail subsequently herein,can utilize either RAT (CBRS or WLAN) depending on, inter alia,directives received from the MSO controller 310 (FIG. 3 a ) via oneaccess node 314 or the other, or even indigenous logic on the clientdevice 306 c enabling it to selectively access one RAT or the other.Feasibly, both RATs could operate in tandem, since they utilizedifferent frequencies, modulation techniques, interference mitigationtechniques, Tx power, etc.

In parallel with (or in place of) the foregoing delivery mechanisms, theMSO backbone 331 and other network components can be used to deliverpacketized content to the user's mobile client device 306 c via non-MSOnetworks. For example, so-called “OTT” content (whether tightly coupledor otherwise) can be ingested, stored within the MSO's networkinfrastructure, and delivered to the user's mobile device via aninterposed ISP (Internet Service Provider) network and public Internet311 (e.g., at a local coffee shop, via a Wi-Fi AP connected to thecoffee shop's ISP via a modem, with the user's IP-enabled end-userdevice 306 c utilizing an Internet browser or MSO/third-party app tostream content according to an HTTP-based approach).

Wireless Services Architecture—

FIG. 4 a illustrates an exemplary embodiment of a network architecture400 useful in implementing the CBRS-based wireless RAT access andco-existence methods of the present disclosure. As used in the presentcontext, the term “users” may include without limitation end users(e.g., individuals, whether subscribers of the MSO network or not),venue operators, third party service providers, or even entities withinthe MSO itself (e.g., a particular department, system or processingentity).

As shown, the architecture generally includes an MSO-maintained CBRScontroller 310 (which may be disposed remotely at the backend or headendof the system within the MSO domain as shown or at the served venue, orat an intermediary site), an MSO-maintained subscriber and CBRS database404, one or more CBSD access nodes 314 in data communication with theCBRS controller 310 (e.g., via existing network architectures includingany wired or wireless connection), as well as any number of clientdevices 306 c (smartphones, laptops, tablets, watches, vehicles, etc.).The CBSD 314 includes in the illustrated embodiment an embedded cablemodem 312 used for communication with a corresponding CMTS 339 (FIG. 3 b) within the MSO's (e.g., cable) plant 300 via cable power and backhaulinfrastructure 406, including high-data bandwidth connections to theMSO's backbone 331, and electrical power for the CBSD A MNO (mobilenetwork operator) network 411 also communicates with the MSO network viathe backhaul 406, such as for inter-operator communications regardingcommon users/subscribers.

In operation, the Domain Proxy (DP) 208 is in logical communication withthe CBSD disposed at the venue (either directly, as shown, or via MSObackend network infrastructure) and the MSO CBRS controller 310. The DP208 provides, inter alia, FSAS interface for the CBSD, includingdirective translation between CBSD 314 and FSAS commands, bulk CBSDdirective processing, and interference contribution reporting to theFSAS (i.e., to help an SAS tune or update its predictive propagationmodels and detect realistic interference issues once CBSDs are deployed,the CBSDs can provide signal strength and interference levelmeasurements).

The MSO controller 310 in the illustrated embodiment communicates withthe DP 208 via an MSO CBRS access network 410, which may be a publicinternetwork (e.g., the

Internet), private network, or other, depending on any security andreliability requirements mandated by the MSO and/or SAS.

As previously noted, a CBRS “domain” is defined is any collection ofCBSDs 314 that need to be grouped for management; e.g.: largeenterprises, venues, etc. The DP 208 aggregate control information flowsto the FSAS1 202 and/or any participating Commercial SAS (CSAS) 420, andgenerate performance reports, channel requests, heartbeats, and othertypes of data. In the illustrated embodiment, the DP 208 is operated bya third-party service provider, although it will be appreciated that theMSO may operate and maintain the DP 208, and or operate/maintain its owninternal DP (as in FIG. 4 b ), such as for channel request processing,aggregation, reporting, and other of the above-listed functions for theMSO's internal CBRS domains, for interface with an external DP 208.

The MSO controller 310 communicates logically with the protocol stackand “server” process of the FSAS1 202 via the DP stack(s), as shown inFIG. 4 a -1. In one embodiment, the DP stack provides protocoltranslation and other functions required by the FSAS 202 (and optionallyby the CSAS 420) for the MSO request and report datagrams transmitted bythe controller 310, and conversely from communications transmitted fromwithin the FSAS/CSAS domains to MSO-domain protocols. In oneimplementation, the DP 208 utilizes and publishes a “closed” API foraccess by various MSO (and other) designated users, such that the MSOspectrum requests and interference reports are submitted via API “calls”to a prescribed URL or other network address.

The MSO subscriber and CBRS database 404 includes several types of datauseful in operation of the system 400. As part thereof, a client devicedatabase not shown is also provided, wherein the MSO CBRS controller 310can access and store data relating to, inter alia: (i) individual clientdevices, such as MAC address or other specific identifying information,(ii) any associated subscriber accounts or records, (iii) the LTE (andoptionally WLAN) configuration of the client, supported LTE/Wi-Fivariants, MCS, MIMO capability, etc.

The client database may also optionally include the multi-RATprovisioning status of the particular client (e.g., whether the clienthas had a connection manager (CM) application installed, status of“pushed” configuration data to the installed CM, etc. As described ingreater detail below with respect to FIG. 4 b , one implementation ofthe CBRS system of the present disclosure utilizes MSO-provisionedclient device CM apps which enable the client device to configure andmanage its various air interfaces (including WLAN, CBRS-LTE, andnon-CBRS LTE).

The MSO database 404 also includes a CBRS database, which in theillustrated embodiment retains data relating to, among other things: (i)CBSD identification (e.g., MAC), (ii) CBSD location, (iii) associationwith parent or child nodes or networks (if any), and (iv) CBRSconfiguration and capabilities data. The CBRS database 404 may alsoinclude MSO-maintained data on spectrum usage and historical patterns,channel withdrawals, and other data which enable the MSO to proactively“plan” channel usage and allocation within the venue(s) of interestwhere the CBSD(s) 314 operate.

The MSO CBRS controller 310 includes, inter alia, optimization functionswhich take into consideration network state and topology, (e.g., foraccess networks spanning across multiple access bands and technologies,cable backhaul and the core network, such as where a 2.4 GHz Wi-Fiaccess network together with 2.5 GHZ and 3.5 Ghz LTE network, cablebackhaul and MSO (cable) core together can be optimized), loading, anduser requirements, and generate standardized requests to the FSAS1 202or CSAS1 420 services via the DP 208. The controller 310 also “tunes”the response from FSAS/CSAS before sending it to the CBSDs 314.Specifically, in one particular implementation, mobility optimization isperformed by the controller 310 by taking FSAS/CSAS channel change,withdrawal, and power change, and other self-optimizing network (SON)functions into account, as described in greater detail subsequentlyherein. The FSAS/CSAS response is first analyzed by the controller logicas to the number of affected downstream devices (e.g., how many smallcells or other CBSDs are affected), and the instructions sent to theindividual CBSDs in phases/groups, or according to some other scheme soas to mitigate the impact on the UEs (yet consistent with FSAS/CSAS andCBRS system requirements). In this fashion, an individual UE can be“moved around” to other CBSDs and/or frequency bands to the extentpossible, and user experience preserved (i.e., little or nodiscontinuity in service is perceived).

In certain embodiments, each CBSD 314 is located within and/or servicesone or more areas within one or more venues (e.g., a building, room, orplaza for commercial, corporate, academic purposes, and/or any otherspace suitable for wireless access). Each CBSD 314 is configured toprovide wireless network coverage within its coverage or connectivityrange. For example, a venue may have a wireless modem installed withinthe entrance thereof for prospective customers to connect to, includingthose in the parking lot via inter alia, their LTE-enabled vehicles orpersonal devices of operators thereof. Notably, different classes ofCBSD 314 (e.g., eNB) may be utilized. For instance, Class A eNBs cantransmit up 30 dbm (1 watt), while Class-B eNBs can transmit up to 50dbm, so the average area can vary widely. In practical terms, a Class-Adevice may have a working range on the order of hundreds of feet, whilea Class B device may operate out to thousands of feet or more, thepropagation and working range dictated by a number of factors, includingthe presence of RF or other interferers, physical topology of thevenue/area, energy detection or sensitivity of the receiver, etc.

In one implementation, the system and methods of the present disclosureinclude determining a desired or optimal installation configuration forone or more wireless interface devices (e.g., CBSDs 314) within apremises or venue, such as for example using the methods and apparatusdescribed in co-owned and co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No.14/534,067 filed Nov. 5, 2014 and entitled “METHODS AND APPARATUS FORDETERMINING AN OPTIMIZED WIRELESS INTERFACE INSTALLATION CONFIGURATION”.As disclosed therein, a network entity collects information relating tothe type of services required, and generates a customer profile. Thecustomer profile is then used to determine a number and type of wirelessinterface devices required. In one variant, a device chart is generated,which lists a plurality of combinations of categories of service and arespective plurality of device combinations needed to provide optimal(or at least to the desired level of) service thereto. The device chartis consulted to arrive at an appropriate installation work order, whichis submitted for premises installation.

In the exemplary embodiment, one or more CBSDs 314 may be indirectlycontrolled by the CBRS controller 310 (i.e., via infrastructure of theMSO network), or directly controlled by a local or “client” CBRScontroller disposed at the venue (not shown). Various combinations ofthe foregoing direct and indirect control may be implemented within thearchitecture 400 of FIG. 4 a as desired. The controller 310 isimplemented in this instance as a substantially unified logical andphysical apparatus maintained within the MSO domain, such as at an MSOheadend or hubsite. In the embodiment of FIG. 4 a , the controller 310is configured to at least: (i) dynamically monitor RF conditions andperformance information in the hosting environment via use of the CBSDs314 a; (ii) cause issuance of interference reports based on the data of(i) for transmission to the DP 208 (and forwarding to the FSAS/CSAS)(iii) cause issuance of spectrum requests to the DP 208 (for forwardingto the cognizant FSAS 202 or CSAS 420). As used herein, the term“forwarding” includes any necessary intermediary protocol translation,processing, repackaging, etc. as necessitated by the receiving FSAS/CSASdomain.

Most notably, the controller 310 includes algorithms to optimizeoperation of the “local” CBRS network maintained by the MSO, such aswithin a target venue or area. These optimizations may include forexample: (a) utilization of the environmental interference data of (i)above to characterize the CBRS band(s) of the venue/area; (b) use thecharacterization of (a) to structure requests for spectrum allocationwithin the CBRS band(s) to the DP/SAS (e.g., which will mitigateinterference or contention within the venue/are in those bands); (c) usethe interference data of (i) above, and other relevant data (e.g.,attendance, time, interference/signal as a function of CBSD location,etc.) to build historical profiles of spectrum use a function of variousvariables, including profiles particular to the venue/area itself, asdescribed in co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/612,630filed Jun. 2, 2017 entitled “APPARATUS AND METHODS FOR PROVIDINGWIRELESS SERVICE IN A VENUE,” incorporated herein by reference in itsentirety; (d) utilize data regarding spectrum availability withdrawals(e.g., where DoD assets require use of a previously allocated band) andother events to generate predictive or speculative models on CBRS bandutilization as a function of time.

In addition to the foregoing, the controller 310 may be configured toactively or passively coordinate MSO user/subscriber RAT and bandallocations between CBSDs (using CBRS allocated spectrum atapproximately 3.5 GHz) and e.g., Wi-Fi use of 2.4 or 5 GHz bands of ISM,so as to optimize user experience, as described in greater detail belowwith respect to FIG. 4 c . For example, in one implementation,computerized optimization functions in the controller 310 take multiplevariables into consideration (e.g., network state, current topology,load, and user bandwidth requirements) as part of generating its requestto SAS (via the DP 208). These variables may also be utilized ingenerating the internal (i.e., internal to MSO network) allocations toindividual CBSDs within the venue area.

Referring now to FIG. 4 b , a second embodiment of a networkarchitecture 430 useful in implementing the CBRS-based wireless RATaccess and co-existence methods of the present disclosure. In thisembodiment, a distributed architecture for the MSO controller 310 isutilized, and the domain proxy 208 is maintained by the MSO as part ofthe MSO connection manager “client” disposed at the venue or area ofinterest (“service domain”).

Moreover, in one implementation, the client devices 306 c each include aconnection manager (CM) application computer program 444 operative torun on the client and, inter alia, enable the host client device tooperate in a multi-RAT environment (e.g., WLAN, CBRS-LTE, and non-CBRSLTE). As an aside, downloadable application or “app” may be available toclient devices of subscribers of an MSO or cable network (and/or thegeneral public), where the app allows users to connect to or obtainMSO-provided services. Application program interfaces (APIs) may beincluded in an MSO-provided applications, installed with otherproprietary software that comes prepackaged with the client device, ornatively available on the CC or other controller apparatus. Such APIsmay include common network protocols or programming languages configuredto enable communication with other network entities as well as receiptand transmit signals that may be interpreted by a receiving device(e.g., client device).

FIG. 4 c illustrates another exemplary cable network architecture forproviding quasi-licensed CBRS and unlicensed WLAN services within, e.g.,a venue or other premises, which extends from user client devices. Inthis architecture 450, WLAN and CBRS services are managed collectively(at least in part) by a unified CBSD/AP controller 460, whichcoordinates activity and allocations of users so as to minimize spectralcontention and/or optimize user experience within the venue.

As shown in FIG. 4 c , the architecture 450 is divided into four mainlogical groups: an access network 452, a regional data center 454, anational data center 456, and a service platform 458. The access network452 includes one or more APs (e.g., WLAN APs 314 b) disposed within thevenue, and end user devices 306 c connected thereto. The regional datacenter 454 assists in providing services to the end users by receiving,transmitting, and processing data between the access network 452 and thebackbone 331 of the cable network. In one embodiment, the regional datacenter 454 is a local infrastructure that includes controllers (e.g., APand unified CBSD/AP controllers), switches, policy servers and networkaddress translators (NATs) in communication with the backbone 311. Theregional data center 454 may be, for example, an intermediate datacenter on premises disposed away from the local access nodes and userpremises (venue), and disposed within a larger infrastructure.

In the exemplary embodiment, the backbone 331 of the network enablesdata communication and services between the regional data center 454 andthe national data center 456 via backhaul, and/or connection to the(public) Internet 311. In one implementation, the national data center456 provides further top-level provisioning services to the regionaldata center 454 (e.g., load balancing, support of Trivial File TransferProtocols (TFTP), Lightweight Directory Access Protocols (LDAP), andDynamic Host Configuration Protocols (DHCP)), as well as providing thesame to other data centers and/or access networks which may be part ofthe network operator's (e.g., MSO's) national-level architecture. Thenational data center 456 also houses in one embodiment more advancedbackend apparatus (e.g., CMTS 339, AP/CBSD controllers, Layer 3switches, and servers for the provisioning services). In one embodiment,a separate service platform 458 may provide auxiliary services to theend users within the venue and subscribed to the MSO network provider,including access to mail exchange servers, remote storage, etc. Thus, itcan be appreciated that myriad network nodes and entities, as well asconnections there between, enable client devices (and ultimately enduser devices 306 c) to maintain end-to-end connectivity across thenetwork.

In one or more embodiments, the CBRS controller 460 may also providevarious information via an open-access network such as a wireless localarea network (WLAN), such as that described in co-owned and co-pendingU.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/063,314 filed Mar. 7, 2016 andentitled “APPARATUS AND METHODS FOR DYNAMIC OPEN-ACCESS NETWORKS”,incorporated by reference in its entirety. In one embodiment, theinformation provided is contextually relevant to locations of respectiveusers or devices receiving the information. As but one example, theinformation provided may relate to the availability of wirelessperformance enhancement via use of an API; i.e., advertising to theclient (via its indigenous WLAN protocol stack or communicationscapabilities), the ability to obtain better wireless performance withininter alia, the venue or service area by accessing the designated API toobtain information or cause connection to the CBRS-LTE interface of theCBSD 314 (and the client's indigenous LTE stack).

In one implementation, the information is provisioned by a networkentity (for example, from a service provider network operator) andprovided to one or more access points (APs) 314 b of the serviceprovider network. The information is bit-stuffed into Wi-Fi beaconframes or other data structures that are broadcast by the APs to nearbyclient devices. A receiving client device extracts the information usinga protocol embodied in the OS or extant software of the client, and mayalso initiate a dedicated wireless connection with the AP for e.g.,transmission of the CM app as a download, or a URL or other networkaddress where the client can obtain the CM app from e.g., a provisioningserver of the MSO or third party.

Alternatively, if the CM has already been installed on the given clientdevice, the installed CM 444 can be used to extract data from the“stuffed” beacons relating to other functions of interest to the user.

Methods—

Various methods and embodiments thereof for controlling wirelessnetworks according to the present disclosure are now described withrespect to FIGS. 5-6 c.

FIG. 5 illustrates an exemplary embodiment of a method 500 implementedby the system architecture (e.g., the system 400 as discussed above withrespect to FIG. 4 a ) to enable connectivity to a quasi-licensedwireless network (e.g., CBRS network) by a client device. The wirelessnetwork useful with method 500 is not limited to those embodied in FIGS.3-4 c herein, and may be used with any wireless-enabled client deviceand any architecture utilizing data communication among nodes (includingthose with multiple coexisting networks).

At step 502, the controller 310 identifies whether any CBRS spectrum hasbeen allocated to the MSO. For instance, at startup of a venue/areasystem, no spectrum may yet be obtained from the SAS. If no spectrum hasbeen allocated to the MSO for this venue/area, then per steps 504 and506, the controller 310 generates a spectrum request to be sent to theFSAS 202 (or CSAS), and ultimately receives an allocation within one ormore sub-bands of the CBRS 3.550-3.700 GHz spectrum.

Once spectrum is obtained/identified, the controller 310 obtainsinterference or environmental data relating to the target venue orcoverage area per step 508. This may comprise current measurements by aCBSD 314 within the venue, historical data, or combinations of theforegoing. Per step 510, the obtained data is evaluated for potentiallydeleterious interference within any of the allocated sub-bands, and anyallocated sub-bands with significant interference (or prospectiveinterference) are removed from the available pool of sub-bands for useby the CBSD(s) 314 per step 512.

Any number of “interference” measurement techniques or metrics canfeasibly be used consistent with the characterization of the CBRSallocated spectrum in the present disclosure, including e.g., SINR,RSSI, RSRP, and RSRQ. SINR is defined by Eqn. (1) below:SINR=S/(I+N)  (1)where:

-   -   S is the power of measured usable signals, such as reference        signals (RS) and physical downlink shared channels (PDSCHs);    -   I is the average interference power; the power of measured        signals or channel interference signals from e.g., other cells;        and    -   N is background noise, which can be correlated to measurement        bandwidth and receiver noise coefficient(s).        In Eqn. (1), all quantities are generally measured over the same        frequency bandwidth and normalized to one sub-carrier bandwidth.        SINR is generally used as a measure of signal quality (and data        throughput), but it is not defined in the 3GPP standards (and        hence is not required to be reported to the network        infrastructure; however, UE's 306 c typically use SINR to        calculate the CQI (Channel Quality Indicator) which they do        report to the network.

RSRP is defined, per 3GPP, as the linear average over the powercontributions (in W) of the resource elements (REs) that carrycell-specific reference signals within the considered measurementfrequency bandwidth. The reference point for the RSRP determination isthe antenna connector of the UE.

RSRP measurement, normally expressed in dBm, is utilized for rankingdifferent candidate cells in accordance with their perceived signalstrength.

Hence, by analogy, SINR and/or RSRP can be determined by the CBSDs 314,obtaining RSRP measurements for any (one or more) from e.g., interferingbase stations within range, such as those operating in Band 42 or 43.With SINR/RSRP values within the prescribed ranges, the presence of oneor more potentially interfering LTE base stations operating within thedesignated sub-bands of the CBRS spectrum allocation can be at leastassumed.

Alternatively (or in conjunction with the foregoing), Received SignalStrength Index (RSSI) and/or Reference Signal Received Quality (RSRQ)may be utilized for sub-band interferer detection. RSRQ is anothersignal quality metric, considering also RSSI and the number of usedResource Blocks (N); specifically:RSRQ=(N*RSRP)/RSSI (measured over the same bandwidth)  (2)RSSI is a measure of the average total received power observed only inOFDM symbols containing reference symbols for antenna port 0 (e.g., OFDMsymbol 0 and 4 in a slot) in the measurement bandwidth over N resourceblocks.

It is noted that the total received power of the carrier RSSI includesthe power from common channel serving and non-serving cells, adjacentchannel interference, thermal noise, and other sources. Hence, it isless specific than the above-described metrics.

Hence, in one implementation, one or more of the foregoing parametersare measured by the CBSD(s) 314 in the region or venue of interest,within the target frequency band (e.g., in or around 3.55-3.7 GHz), andthese values are compared to historical data within the database andreflective of an operating LTE system (such as for example at a priortime when an LTE base station was communicating with a prescribed oreven indeterminate number of LTE UE's). As noted above, the historicaldata may also be represented as one or more parametric ranges, such thatif the measured signals have values falling within the historicalranges, the presence of an LTE interferer is assumed.

Returning again to FIG. 5 , at step 514, the MSO database on theremaining sub-bands within the pool is consulted to identify thosehaving a high probability (P) of withdraw from use by the SAS (e.g.,those which are frequently withdrawn by DoD asset use, etc.). Thisanalysis may be based on general data irrespective of particulargeographic area or venue, or specific thereto. For example, anMSO-serviced hospitality complex far inland from the ocean may neverexperience withdrawals in certain sub-bands since the DoD ship-borneradar used in those sub-bands does not operate/propagate that farinland, whereas a similar facility operated near the coast might havefrequent DoD-based withdrawals in the same sub-band.

Per step 516, at least a portion of the remaining (non-excluded)sub-bands within the pool are allocated to one or more of the CBSDsassociated with the target area or venue. It is noted that thisallocation of step 516 may be (i) an explicit allocation, such as whereCBSD “A” is allocated a first range of frequencies, and CBSD “B” isallocated a second range of frequencies, with no contentiontherebetween; or (ii) a generalized allocation, such as where thecontroller 310 allocates both CBSD A and B to operate within a commonband, thereby allowing the indigenous contention management protocols(e.g., LBT) of the underlying LTE standards (e.g.,LTE/LTE-A/LTE-U/LTE-LAA) to sort out the specifics of carrierutilization. Hence, in one model, the controller 310 is configured to“pack” the allocated CBRS spectrum using non-overlapping (or at leastnon-interfering) sub-band assignments to different CBSDs until suchscheme is exhausted (e.g., such discrete CBSDs allocations cannot besupported), at which point the controller allows two or more of theCBSDs to utilize the contention management protocols within a commonband to determine carrier utilization (which may be wholly dynamic as afunction of users and time).

FIG. 5 a is logical flow diagram of an exemplary implementation of amethod for compensating for CBRS band withdrawal by a SAS. As shown, themethod 520 begins with receipt of a SAS-initiated withdraw message(e.g., from the DP 208) delineating one or more spectral sub-bands to bewithdrawn. It will be appreciated that while the method 530 is describedwith respect to incipient (i.e., future) withdrawal, the method may beadapted by one of ordinary skill given the present disclosure tocompensate for post facto withdrawals as well.

As shown in FIG. 5 a , the method 520 continues with an evaluation(e.g., by the controller 310) of whether the “withdrawn” sub-band(s) arecurrently in use by the MSO infrastructure; e.g., via messaging to oneor more CBSDs within the affected area(s) or venues per step 524. Asdiscussed above, allocation and grant of a CBRS channel is typicallybased on the geographic location, not only for reasons of maximumpractical range of the CBRS wireless signals, but also based on expected“incumbency” within those areas. For example, coastal areas and majorports with large DoD presence may have greater possibility of allocatedchannels being needed by those DoD assets, and as incumbent with highestpriority vacating other users within those bands on short notice. Thisfactor can be considered in the controller's mobility optimization,including when initially allocating the CBRS bands for use by certainMSO CBSDs. For example, the controller logic can be configured to, basedon e.g., (i) a presumed maximal range of the CBSD in serving users, and(ii) the probability of one or more bands being withdrawn by such DoDassets on short notice, implement its spectrum/geographic allocation“map” so as to reduce the likelihood that a given user (or group ofusers) will be “stranded.” For instance, consider the scenario where theMSO has installed three (3) CBSDs within a venue such as a concert hall.These three CBSDs are placed within the venue to provide optimal(including overlapping) coverage so that regardless of where the user islocated/seated, they will have adequate CBRS signal strength in thethen-allocated band(s). However, if all three CBSDs utilize the samefrequency band (e.g., Band X), and that band is withdrawn, the usersattached to those CBSDs will all need to be migrated to one or more newbands, which may, depending on FSAS/CSAS and other response delays, mayresult in temporary loss of service. Conversely, if the MSO allocationplan identifies Band X as a likely withdraw candidate based on thevenue's location in a port city (e.g., San Diego) and common DoD assetuse of that band (e.g., it correlates to a radar or communication systemfrequently used by the DoD asset), the controller logic can schedule thethree CBSDs in the venue so as to mitigate a common withdrawal scenariosas described above; e.g., by allocating users onto less“withdrawal-prone” CBRS spectrum anticipatorily. Hence, the controller310 of the present disclosure can advantageously be configured toperform geography-based “withdrawal” assessment and planning; e.g.,modeling use within a prescribed area or venue to mitigate anticipatedwithdrawals of spectrum so as to, inter alia, preserve user experience.

If not in use, then per steps 526 and 528, the controller 310 withdrawsthe sub-bands from the pool, and notifies the affected CBSDs 314. If inuse per step 524, then the controller 310 consults its local or internalcurrent CBRS band allocations (e.g., maintained in the MSO database 404of FIG. 4 a ) at step 530 to determine whether there is additionalspectrum already allocated to the MSO for use by the controller 310. Ifnot, then per steps 532 and 534, a spectrum request message is generatedand transmitted to the SAS via the DP 208, and a spectrum allocation tothe MSO subsequently received by the controller 310.

If extant spectrum is identified by the controller at step 530, then thevenue-specific interference data is obtained from the relevant CBSDs 314per step 536, and new sub-band(s) selected from the available pool thatmitigate or avoid any salient interference identified at the venue perstep 538. The selected sub-band(s) is/are then allocated to the CBSD(s)314 by the controller for use with e.g., MSO users or clients, per step540.

FIG. 5 b is logical flow diagram of an exemplary implementation of amethod for enabling connectivity of CBRS spectrum in a WLAN/CBRSco-existence environment. As shown, the method 550 includes firstdetecting or receiving indication (e.g., whether by passive monitoringof the WLAN bands within the target venue/area, monitoring WLANconnection performance for one or more users or APs within the venue, orother) of WLAN degradation per step 552. For instance, an extant MSOWLAN user within the venue may roam out of a coverage area for one ormore APs 314 b within the venue, and hence his/her connection degradesor is completely lost. In one implementation the AP (or its “back end”controller), upon N unsuccessful reconnection attempts, generates amessage and transmits it to the CBRS controller 310, thereby alertingthe latter that WLAN degradation exists. The controller 310, uponreceiving the message from the AP/AP controller, may optionally obtainclient device wireless configuration data from the MSO database 404(e.g., by MAC address or other device-specific ID or parameter forwardedto the controller 310 by the AP/AP controller) per step 554 to determinewhether the affected device has CBRS (e.g., LTE Band 42 or 43)capability. The MSO may also contact an MNO 411 to obtain capabilityand/or subscription information as needed. Per step 556, if the UE(client) is LTE-enabled, and CBRS spectrum is allocated to the MSO perstep 558, then relevant CBSDs 314 are allocated spectrum per step 570.Otherwise, a request/grant procedure is implemented per steps 566 and568.

If, per step 556, the optional check of the UE configuration indicatesthat it is not LTE-capable, then co-existence compensation mechanismsfor the AP and/or client (UE) are invoked per step 560. In oneimplementation, these mechanisms include one or more of those describedin co-owned and co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/615,686filed Jun. 6, 2017 entitled “METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR DYNAMIC CONTROLOF CONNECTIONS TO CO-EXISTING RADIO ACCESS NETWORKS” incorporated byreference herein in its entirety, such as e.g., reduction of client WLANinterface ED threshold, increase in AP Tx power, increased beamformingby the AP, or yet others. If such compensation mechanisms do not restorethe connection sufficiently per step 562, then an error code isgenerated per step 564.

FIG. 5 c is a logical flow diagram of an exemplary implementation of amethod of client device management within a multi-node wireless networkaccording to the present disclosure. As shown in the Figure, the method572 includes first receiving a withdrawal “notice” (e.g., datacommunication) generated by an FSAS or CSAS 202, 420 per step 574. Aspreviously described, the MSO controller 310 may directly receive thedata communication(s) from the FSAS/CSAS, or they may be routed fromanother intermediary entity, whether within or external to the MSOinfrastructure. The data communication(s) in one embodiment indicate oneor more frequency bands within the CBRS spectrum (i.e., between 3.550and 3.700 GHz) which require withdrawal. In some cases, the datacommunications may include other data, such as other requirements to beobeyed in the withdrawal of the designated band(s) including forinstance temporal requirements for the withdrawal, bandwidth of thedesignated band(s), and/or geographic or other identifiers (indicatingthe scope of the withdrawal).

Per step 576, the controller 310 determines, based on the data in thecommunications issued by the FSAS/CSAS, whether any of the designatedbands are allocated to one or more CBSDs 314 within the MSO network.Depending on the type of withdrawal, the controller 310 may conductother analyses. For instance, if the withdrawal requirement is specificto a prescribed geographic area only, the controller 310 may onlyevaluate data associated with CBSDs in that area (e.g., currentconfiguration files for the CBSDs indicating their current frequencyband allocations for operation). If the withdrawal is “blanket” (i.e.,no quasi-licensed use for any reason), then the controller 310 may queryits entire CBSD pool.

If per step 576 no operating CBSDs 314 within the CBSD pool areallocated or utilizing the withdrawal bands, then per step 578, thecontroller causes the designated band(s) to be removed from the pool ofavailable spectrum for use by the MSO (which again, may be on anetwork-wide or limited geographic region basis).

Alternatively, if one or more CBSDs 314 within the affected region usingthe withdrawal band(s) is/are identified, at step 580, the controller310 then identifies one or more user devices (e.g., UEs) using theidentified CBSDs for data or other sessions. This identification may beobtained in one implementation by querying the identified CBSD(s) toreport UEs with which the CBSD maintains ongoing association (e.g.,mobile device IDs associated with the cell ID for the CBSD).

Per step 582, if no UEs associated with the affected CBSD(s) is/areidentified, no current users are affected by the withdrawal, and thecontroller 310 re-allocates the affected CBSD(s) to one or morenon-withdrawn frequency bands from the available pool, per step 584, soas to avoid future use of the withdrawn band(s) by those CBSDs whencommunicating with UEs.

Per step 582, if one or more UEs associated with the affected CBSD(s)is/are identified, the controller 310 attempts to identify one or morehandover candidate CBSDs within the affected region (i.e., CBSDs usingone or more bands that are not part of the band withdrawal received fromthe FSAS/CSAS), per step 586. In one LTE-based implementation, thisidentification is conducted by the controller 310 obtaining data fromthe affected CBSD 314, which has been generated by one or moreassociated UEs and returned to the CBSD. For example, Per 3GPP TS 36.331(e.g., Release 8 version 8.20.0 dated July 2010 and later), incorporatedherein by reference in its entirety, UEs may be directed via theRRCConnectionRecongfiguration message to implement a number if IEs(information elements) relating to UE measurements, such as theMeasConfig IE. Measurement objects, rules, and parameters can bespecified for a given UE by its parent eNodeB (or here, CBSD “smallcell” or femtocell) relating to RF environment measurements for othercells, including at other frequencies and/or RATs (i.e., inter-frequencyand inter-RAT); the UE then reports this data to the parent node viaestablished reporting mechanisms within TS 36.331. In one embodiment ofthe present method 572, a “whitelist” is generated by the controller 310and passed down to the CBSD 314; this whitelist contains one or morefrequency bands which are not otherwise withdrawn (or soon to bewithdrawn) by the FSAS/CSAS, and hence safe for possible selection as ahandover or target cell (see step 592). Alternatively, the UE may beinstructed to monitor all proximate cells (i.e., according to otherwiseunchanged MeasConfig parameters specified by the CBSD), and return suchdata to the controller 310 via the CBSD backhaul link, wherein thecontroller 310 may utilize the data to select the appropriate cell fortarget handover, and send the selection to the affected CBSD.

It will be appreciated that inter-cell handovers within the exemplaryLTE RAT are generally “hard” (versus traditionally “soft” handovers inother RATs), and hence the affected eNodeB (e.g., CBSD) can in oneembodiment merely instruct the UE to drop its session with that CBSD,and to establish a new one with the target cell. Accordingly, the higherlayer processes of the UE (e.g., the media player, browser, MSO app, orother process transacting the user's data session) may be configured tobuffer or otherwise ameliorate the “hard” handover so as to maintaingood user experience. For instance, in one variant, the higher layerprocess may buffer a prescribed temporal duration ahead within astreaming media stream (or alternatively proactively requestretransmission) so as to mitigate perceived discontinuity on theinter-cell handover.

Per step 588, if no “clean” or whitelisted CBSDs are located by thecontroller 310, the controller then allocates clean spectrum to one ormore CBSDs within the affected region (i.e., which are within suitablerange of the UE to render service).

FIG. 6 a is a ladder diagram illustrating an exemplary communicationsflow 600 for configuring and controlling CBRS connectivity within avenue.

At step 602 a of the exemplary embodiment, a CBSD 314 sends aninterference report to the designated DP 208. Data of these reports areforwarded to the cognizant FSAS(s) 202 by the DP 208 according to theproper FSAS protocol. The reports may contain information related to,e.g., transmit power of nearby access points and nodes, number of users,channels used, data transmission rates, beamforming settings,modulation/coding scheme (MCS), or other statistics associated withsignals propagating within the venue, e.g., signals related to CBRSsub-bands in the 3.550-3.700 GHz range. Per step 604, the MSO controller310 decides it needs CBRS spectrum allocated (for whatever reason; e.g.,in response to any number of scenarios such as those of FIGS. 5-5 bdiscussed above), and invokes a communication protocol with the DP 208.Such protocol may include for example an authentication (e.g.,challenge-response) of the MSO controller 310 by the DP, and converselyauthentication of the DP 208 by the MSO controller 310 or its securityproxy, so as to e.g., mitigate spoofing or MITM attacks.

Once the DP/controller are mutually authenticated, the DP 208 generatesa spectrum request message on behalf of the controller 310 fortransmission to the FSAS 202 per step 606. Per step 608, the FSAS 202responds to the DP 208 with a spectrum grant (or rejection), which isthen symmetrically sent to the MSO controller 310 per step 610 using theappropriate MSO/DP protocols (which may differ from those of the FSAS).

Per step 612, the MSO controller 310, after evaluating and conductingoptimization of spectrum sub-band allocations to the various CBSDswithin a given venue/area (and optionally other venues/areas, dependingon coverage), issues its optimized allocations of the sub-bands to theCBSDs 314 of the one or more venues. At this point, the CBSDs configurefor operation in the allocated sub-bands (e.g., LTE band 43), andbroadcast on their DL channels to advertise their availability to anyclient/UE within range of the CBSD(s).

Specifically, as is known, LTE systems utilize OFDM on their DL (base toUE), and SC-FDMA on their UL (UE to base), and further employ a numberof shared/control channels for a variety of control, signaling, andother functions. These channels exist in both DL and UL directions, andinclude the: (i) physical downlink control channel (PDCCH); (ii)physical uplink control channel (PUCCH); (iii) physical downlink sharedchannel (PDSCH); and (iv) physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH). Thesechannels can be decoded by the UE and used to establish communicationwith the CBSD 314.

In operation, the LTE UE will report its CSI (channel state information,including CQI or channel quality index) via one of the UL channels;i.e., PUSCH or PUCCH, thereby characterizing the RF receivingenvironment for each reporting UE. The eNodeB takes the reported CSIinformation to develop a schedule for transmission to the UE(s) via thePDSCH, and DL resource allocation is made via the PDCCH. UL grants (forUE traffic operations such as when no PUSCH is available) are also madeby the eNodeB via the PDCCH, based on requests sent via the PUCCH.

Hence, per step 614, the UE(s) receive the broadcast channels,synchronize and determine timing (e.g., via CAZAC sequence analysis),and then establish UL communication with the CBSD (operating effectivelyas an eNodeB) within the sub-bands of interest, including authenticationand sign-on of the UE to the MNO network. The latter is facilitated inone implementation via one or more service establishment requests to theMNO's designated EUTRAN entity per step 616; e.g., to validate the UE'smobile ID and other subscription information, and enabling transactionof UP (user plane) data between the client device and the eNodeB. Inthis implementation, the MSO infrastructure acts effectively as aconduit or extension of the MNO network, with the MNO core 411 conducingall of the relevant communications operations to establish the UE/eNBsession per the LTE standards, with the CBSD(s) 314 acting as its proxywithin the MSO network.

Per step 618, the CBSD, the session is optionally configured accordingto one or more MSO policies as dictated by the controller 310; i.e.,according to e.g., previously agreed-upon policies between the MSO andMNO 411, and these policies for the particular session are thencommunicated to the MNO.

FIG. 6 b is a ladder diagram illustrating a second embodiment of acommunication flow for establishing quasi-licensed band communication inaccordance with the methods of the present disclosure. In this method630, the MSO controller 310 includes server and client controllerportions 310 a, 310 b as in the embodiment of FIG. 4 b . Moreover, theDP 208 is integrated with MSO infrastructure (e.g., as part of the CBSD314) as shown.

Per step 632, CBRS interference reports of the type previously describedare sent to the MSO controller (server) 310 a from the CBSD 314, as wellas to the cognizant FSAS 202 as may be required under the Federalstandards. Per step 634, the controller 310 a determines its need forCBRS spectrum (again, for whatever reason), and issues a request to theDP 208 (residing within the CBSD at the service domain). The DP 208formats the request according to the appropriate FSAS protocol andtransmits the request per step 636; a spectrum grant/denial issubsequently received per step 638 at the DP 208.

Per step 640, the DP 208 (via the controller client 310 b) informs thecontroller server 310 a of the results (assume here a “grant” ofspectrum), and accordingly the server 310 a utilizes the grant sub-bandallocation information, along with the interference data of step 632, tooptimize the CBRS spectrum allocations for the CBSDs. Note that in thisimplementation, while the DP 208 and controller client 310 b areco-located with the CBSD, the logic does not “short circuit” the grantdirectly to the CBSD 314, but rather waits for the server portion 310 ofthe controller to optimize the allocation and pass the optimizedallocation to the CBSD(s) 314 itself.

Per steps 644 and 646, the CBSD broadcasts on the allocated sub-bands,and establishes a session with the relevant UE(s) 306 c as previouslydescribed. Once the session is established, the session is optionallyconfigured according to one or more MSO policies as dictated by thecontroller server portion 310 a; i.e., per step 648, the controller 310a configures the CBSD(s) 314 (now operating as eNodeBs) according toe.g., previously agreed-upon policies between the MSO and MNO 411. Thesepolicies for the particular session are then communicated to the MNO perstep 650.

FIG. 6 c is a ladder diagram illustrating a third embodiment of acommunication flow for establishing quasi-licensed band communication inaccordance with the methods of the present disclosure. In this method660, one or more WLAN AP controllers 455 are in data communication withthe unified WLAN/CBRS controller 460 as shown.

Per step 662, the CBRS interference reports are sent to the controller460 and the FSAS 202 as previously described. Additionally, per step664, the WLAN AP controller(s) 455 generates and sends a WLAN statusreport, including data relevant to assessment of the operation of theWLAN APs with the target venue/area. For example, measured interferencelevels, SINR, RSSI, data throughput rates, connection drop frequency,etc. may be included with the periodic or aperiodic (e.g., event driven)reports transmitted to the MSO unified controller 460.

Per step 666, the controller 460 determines its need for CBRS spectrum(again, for whatever reason; in this case which may include e.g.,evaluation of the WLAN data reporting indicating a sustained orimpending loss of WLAN service to the UE within the venue/area), andissues a request to the DP 208 (residing within the CBSD at the servicedomain). The DP 208 formats the request according to the appropriateFSAS protocol and transmits the request per step 668; a spectrumgrant/denial is subsequently received per step 670 at the DP 208.

Per step 672, the DP 208 (via the controller client 310 b) informs theunified controller server 460 of the results (assume here a “grant” ofspectrum), and accordingly the unified controller 460 utilizes the grantsub-band allocation information, along with the interference data ofstep 674, to optimize the CBRS spectrum allocations for the CBSDs. As inthe embodiment of FIG. 6 b , while the DP 208 and controller client 310b are co-located with the CBSD, the logic does not “short circuit” thegrant directly to the CBSD 314.

Per steps 675 and 676, the CBSD broadcasts on the allocated sub-bands,and establishes a session with the relevant UE(s) 306 c as previouslydescribed. Once the session is established, the session is optionallyconfigured according to one or more MSO policies as dictated by thecontroller server portion 310 a; i.e., per step 678, the controller 460configures the CBSD(s) 314 (now operating as eNodeBs) according to e.g.,previously agreed-upon policies between the MSO and MNO 411. Thesepolicies for the particular session are then communicated to the MNO perstep 680.

Lastly, the controller 460 may cause one or more of the WLAN APs 314 bwithin the venue to terminate or disconnect any ongoing sessions(including on a UE-specific basis) and “forget” the UEs such that inorder to re-establish WLAN communications, the UEs much basically startfrom the beginning of the WLAN/AP connection protocol (thereby assuringno concurrent communications on WLAN and CBRS are conducted by the sameclient 306 c). It will be appreciated, however, that there may bescenarios where the controller 460 logic may decide to maintainconcurrent WLAN and CBRS communications. For instance, in oneimplementation, the air interfaces may be “aggregated” (i.e., splitacross a common higher layer process, such as a media streaming/playerapp. requiring significant bandwidth). The higher layer process may beconfigured to view the two PHY air interfaces and supporting stacks astwo lower layer “ports” (e.g., via with which it can transact packetsindependently, and hence divide the load of the streaming app acrossthese two interfaces, assembling the packets once received into thetemporal stream as indicated by the higher layer network streamingprotocol (e.g., RTP/RTCP over UDP or TCP, or the like). For instance,one embodiment of such an app may run RTP over UDP as thenetwork/transport layer protocols which provides a “best efforts”delivery over the two interfaces, yet with no QoS.

CBRS Controller Apparatus—

FIG. 7 a illustrates a block diagram of exemplary hardware andarchitecture of a controller apparatus, e.g., the CBRS controller 310 ofFIG. 4 a , useful for operation in accordance with the presentdisclosure.

In one exemplary embodiment as shown, the controller 310 includes, interalia, a processor apparatus or subsystem 702, a program memory module704, a connectivity manager module 706 a (here implemented as softwareor firmware operative to execute on the processor 702), a back-end(inward-facing) network interface 710 for internal MSO communicationsand control data communication with the relevant CBSD(s) 314, and afront-end or outward-facing network interface 708 for communication withthe DP 208 (and ultimately the FSAS 202 via a Federal secure interfacenetwork, or CSAS 420) via an MSO-maintained firewall or other securityarchitecture. Since CBRS controllers could feasibly be employed forsurreptitious activity, each should be secure from, inter alia,intrusive attacks or other such events originating from the publicInternet/ISP network 311 (FIG. 3 a ) or other sources.

Accordingly, in one exemplary embodiment, the controllers 310 are eachconfigured to utilize a non-public IP address within a CBRS “DMZ” of theMSO network. As a brief aside, so-called DMZs (demilitarized zones)within a network are physical or logical sub-networks that separate aninternal LAN, WAN, PAN, or other such network from other untrustednetworks, usually the Internet. External-facing servers, resources andservices are disposed within the DMZ so they are accessible from theInternet (and hence e.g., DPs 208 responding to MSO-initiated CBRSspectrum allocation requests), but the rest of the internal MSOinfrastructure remains unreachable or partitioned. This provides anadditional layer of security to the internal infrastructure, as itrestricts the ability of surreptitious entities or processes to directlyaccess internal MSO servers and data via the untrusted network, such asvia a DP “spoof” or MITM attack.

In addition, the controller 310 of the exemplary implementation isconfigured to only respond to a restricted set of protocol functions;i.e., authentication challenges from a valid DP 208 or SAS 202 (i.e.,those on a “white list” maintained by the MSO), requests forinterference monitoring data from a DP or SAS, resource allocation ACKs,etc.

Although the exemplary controller 310 may be used as described withinthe present disclosure, those of ordinary skill in the related arts willreadily appreciate, given the present disclosure, that the controllerapparatus may be virtualized and/or distributed within other network orservice domain entities (as in the distributed controller architectureof FIGS. 4 b and 7 b described below), and hence the foregoing apparatus310 is purely illustrative.

More particularly, the exemplary controller apparatus 310 can bephysically located near or within the centralized operator network(e.g., MSO network); within or co-located with a CBSD (as in theembodiment of FIG. 4 b ); within an intermediate entity, e.g., within adata center, such as a WLAN AP controller (see FIG. 4 c ; and/or within“cloud” entities or other portions of the infrastructure of which therest of the wireless network (as discussed supra) is a part, whetherowned/operated by the MSO or otherwise. In some embodiments, the CBRScontroller 310 may be one of several controllers, each having equivalenteffectiveness or different levels of use, e.g., within a hierarchy(e.g., the controller 310 may be under a “parent” controller thatmanages multiple slave or subordinate controllers, with each of the“slaves” for example being designated to control functions within theirown respective venue(s)).

In one embodiment, the processor apparatus 702 may include one or moreof a digital signal processor, microprocessor, field-programmable gatearray, or plurality of processing components mounted on one or moresubstrates. The processor apparatus 702 may also comprise an internalcache memory. The processing subsystem is in communication with aprogram memory module or subsystem 704, where the latter may includememory which may comprise, e.g., SRAM, flash and/or SDRAM components.The memory module 704 may implement one or more of direct memory access(DMA) type hardware, so as to facilitate data accesses as is well knownin the art. The memory module of the exemplary embodiment contains oneor more computer-executable instructions that are executable by theprocessor apparatus 702. A mass storage device (e.g., HDD or SSD, oreven NAND flash or the like) is also provided as shown.

The processor apparatus 702 is configured to execute at least onecomputer program stored in memory 704 (e.g., the logic of the CBRScontroller in the form of software or firmware that implements thevarious controller functions described herein with respect to CBRSspectrum allocation, CBSD environmental monitoring, etc.). Otherembodiments may implement such functionality within dedicated hardware,logic, and/or specialized co-processors (not shown).

In one embodiment, the mobility optimization manager 706 a is furtherconfigured to register known downstream devices (e.g., access nodesincluding CBSDs and WLAN APs), other backend devices, and wirelessclient devices (remotely located or otherwise), and centrally controlthe broader wireless network (and any constituent peer-to-peersub-networks). Such configuration include, e.g., providing networkidentification (e.g., to CBSDs, APs, client devices, and other devices,or to upstream devices), identifying network congestion, SelfOptimization (SO) functions, and managing capabilities supported by thewireless network. In one implementation, one or more primary factorsis/are used as a basis to structure the optimization to maximize oroptimize the primary factor(s). For example, if the goal at giveninstance is to push a larger amount of data (i.e., throughput) such asin the downlink direction (DL), the UEs or devices with better signalingmay be chosen by the optimization logic to transact more data in anefficient manner (effectively “path of least resistance” logic). Thiscan also be applied to for instance a higher subscriber service tier vs.a lower subscriber tier; the higher tier may be allocated availablebandwidth (at least to a prescribed degree or value) before bandwidth isallocated to the lower tier, so as to ensure the user experience for thehigher tier is sufficient. Alternatively, the goal may be more equitabledistribution of resources (i.e., radio/backhaul/core resources) amongdifferent users, access networks, partners and/or different types ofservices (e.g., voice versus data, QoS versus non-QoS, etc.), logic tobalance the resources across the different user, etc. may be employed.See, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 9,730,143 to Gormley, et al. issued Aug. 8,2017 and entitled “Method and apparatus for self organizing networks;”U.S. Pat. No. 9,591,491 to Tapia issued Mar. 7, 2017 entitled“Self-organizing wireless backhaul among cellular access points;” andU.S. Pat. No. 9,730,135 to Rahman issued Aug. 8, 2017, entitled “Radioaccess network resource configuration for groups of mobile devices,”each of the foregoing incorporated herein by reference in its entirety,for exemplary SON implementations useful with various aspects of thepresent disclosure.

In some embodiments, the mobility optimization manager 706 a may also becapable of obtaining data, and even use M2M learning or other logic toidentify and learn patterns among detected RF signals (e.g., CBSDallocations and/or withdrawals occur at certain times of day orlocations, or how often a particular CBSD 314 needs to implementre-allocation of CBRS spectrum). Patterns may be derived from, forexample, analysis of historical data collected from the reports from theLTE radio suite 809 (FIG. 8 a ), the MSO database 404, or other sourcesover time.

In one embodiment, the mobility optimization manager 706 a accesses themass storage 705 (or the CBRS DB 404) to retrieve stored data. The dataor information may relate to reports or configuration files as notedabove. Such reports or files may be accessible by the mobilityoptimization manager 706 a and/or processor 702, as well as othernetwork entities, e.g., a CM 444 provisioning server 417 (FIG. 4 b ) orwireless nodes (CBSDs 314 a or APs 314 b).

In other embodiments, application program interfaces (APIs) such asthose included in an MSO-provided applications, installed with otherproprietary software, or natively available on the controller apparatus(e.g., as part of the computer program noted supra or exclusivelyinternal to the mobility optimization manager 706 a) may also reside inthe internal cache or other memory 704. Such APIs may include commonnetwork protocols or programming languages configured to enablecommunication with other network entities as well as receipt andtransmit signals that a receiving device (e.g., CBSD, WLAN AP, clientdevice) may interpret.

In another embodiment, the mobility optimization manager 706 is furtherconfigured to communicate with one or more authentication,authorization, and accounting (AAA) servers of the network. The AAAservers are configured to provide services for, e.g., authorizationand/or control of network subscribers for controlling access andenforcing policies related thereto with respect to computer resources,enforcing policies, auditing usage, and providing the informationnecessary to bill for services. AAA servers may further be useful forproviding subscriber-exclusive features or content via, e.g.,downloadable MSO-provided applications.

In some variants, authentication processes are configured to identify aCBSD 314 or an AP 314 b, a client device 306 c, or an end user, such asby having the client device identify or end user enter valid credentials(e.g., user name and password, or Globally Unique Identifier (GUID))before network access or other services provided by the operator may begranted to the client device and its user. Following authentication, theAAA servers may grant authorization to a subscriber user for certainfeatures, functions, and/or tasks, including access to MSO-providedemail account, cloud storage account, streaming content, billinginformation, exclusive media content, etc. Authentication processes maybe configured to identify or estimate which of the known CBSDs 314 aserviced by the CBRS controller 310 tend to serve users or clientdevices that subscribe to the MSO's services, thereby providingadditional insights with respect to how a particular CBSD may betreated. For example, if a first CBSD serves many clients relative toanother CBSD or AP, the controller 310 may favor the first CBSD by,e.g., allocating CBRS sub-bands preferentially or in greaternumber/bandwidth, resulting in a better or additional end-userexperiences for subscribers using that first CBSD.

Returning to the exemplary embodiment as shown in FIG. 7 a , one or morenetwork “front-end” or outward-facing interfaces 708 are utilized in theillustrated embodiment for communication with external (non-MSO) networkentities, e.g., DPs 208, via, e.g., Ethernet or other wired and/orwireless data network protocols.

In the exemplary embodiment, one or more backend interfaces 710 areconfigured to transact one or more network address packets with otherMSO networked devices, particularly backend apparatus such as theMSO-operated CBSDs 314 a and WLAN APs 314 b (FIG. 7 b ) within thetarget venue/area. Other MSO entities such as the MSO CMTS, Layer 3switch, network monitoring center, AAA server, etc. may also be incommunication with the controller 310 according to a network protocol.Common examples of network routing protocols include for example:Internet Protocol (IP), Internetwork Packet Exchange (IPX), and OpenSystems Interconnection (OSI) based network technologies (e.g.,Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM), Synchronous Optical Networking(SONET), Synchronous Digital Hierarchy (SDH), Frame Relay). In oneembodiment, the backend network interface(s) 710 operate(s) in signalcommunication with the backbone of the content delivery network (CDN),such as that of FIGS. 3-4 c. These interfaces might comprise, forinstance, GbE (Gigabit Ethernet) or other interfaces of suitablebandwidth capability.

It will also be appreciated that the two interfaces 708, 710 may beaggregated together and/or shared with other extant data interfaces,such as in cases where a controller function is virtualized withinanother component, such as an MSO network server performing thatfunction.

FIG. 7 b is a functional block diagram illustrating a second exemplaryembodiment of an MSO CBRS controller apparatus. In the embodiment ofFIG. 7 b , the controller 310 is configured to interface with one ormore WLAN APs 314 b within the venue/area (in addition to the CBSDs 314a), and includes a mobility and optimization function 706 b thatconsiders data relating to both WLAN and CBSD functions, and optimizesMSO user or subscriber experience for both collectively. For example, inone implementation, the logic of the controller function 706 b obtainsWLAN AP performance data relating to one or more MSO users orsubscribers in the venue (including e.g., data throughput; frequency ofdropped connections, other sensed interferers in the WLAN frequencyband), and utilizes such data to (i) allocate CBRS spectrum to any usersexperiencing WLAN degradation (and whose client devices include theappropriate RAT technology for the co-located CBSDs; e.g., LTE, and (ii)cause request for spectrum within the CBRS band(s) from the relevant SASfunction if not already allocated to the venue. Moreover, the controllerfunction 706 b can provide the aforementioned CBRS interferencereporting functions (as may be mandated by the FSAS or CSAS), and managefrequency band migration within the CBRS bands in the case of spectrumwithdrawal by the cognizant SAS.

FIG. 7 c is a functional block diagram illustrating a third exemplaryembodiment of an MSO CBRS controller apparatus. In this embodiment, thecontroller 310 (client portion in the form of the mobility optimizationprocess 706 b), CBSDs 314 a, WLAN APs 314 b, and DP 208 are integratedinto the controller apparatus 310 b disposed within the target servicedomain. The WLAN AP and CBSD utilize the MSO backhaul 311 as thehigh-speed “data pipe” for WLAN and CBRS communications within thevenue, and the CBSD and WLAN AP are connected for control functions tothe controller 310 b via a local venue LAN. Logical communication ismaintained between the server and client controller portions 310, 310 bvia the LAN or other means. The server portion 310 a can communicate viaits own CBRS access network to the FSAS 202 or CSAS 420 (e.g., via anexternal DP, not shown), as can the venue system. In this manner, atleast some communications such as CBSD environment reporting to the FSAS202 can be conducted independently of the MSO if desired, and likewisethe MSO server portion 310 b can access data and make spectrumallocation requests (e.g., for other venues) independently of the localcontroller 310 b or venue system.

CBSD Apparatus—

FIG. 8 a illustrates an exemplary CBSD access node 314 according to thepresent disclosure. As shown, the CBSD 314 includes, inter alia, aprocessor apparatus or subsystem 802, a program memory module 804, massstorage 805, a CBRS client or local portion 806, one or more network(e.g., controller server portion 310 a and LAN) interfaces 808, as wellas one or more radio frequency (RF) devices 809 having, inter alia,antenna(e) 810 and one or more RF tuners 815.

In the exemplary embodiment, the processor 802 may include one or moreof a digital signal processor, microprocessor, field-programmable gatearray, or plurality of processing components mounted on one or moresubstrates. The processor 802 may also comprise an internal cachememory, and is in communication with a memory subsystem 804, which cancomprise, e.g., SRAM, flash and/or SDRAM components. The memorysubsystem may implement one or more of DMA type hardware, so as tofacilitate data accesses as is well known in the art. The memorysubsystem of the exemplary embodiment contains computer-executableinstructions which are executable by the processor 802.

The RF antenna(s) 810 are configured to detect signals from radio accesstechnologies (RATs) in the venue. For example, Wi-Fi signals and LTE(including, e.g., LTE, LTE-A, LTE-U, LTE-LAA) signals may be detected,along with networking information such as number and type of RATs (e.g.,Wi-Fi, LTE, LTE-A, LTE-U, LTE-LAA), frequency bands used (e.g., 2.4 or5.0 GHz among others), channels the signals are occupying, number ofconnections, etc.

The tuner 815 in one embodiment comprises a digitally controlled RFtuner capable of reception of signals via the RF front end (receivechain) of the radio 809 in the aforementioned bands, includingsimultaneous reception (e.g., both 2.4 and 5.0 GHz band at the sametime), and has sufficient reception bandwidth to identify emitters thatare significantly below or above the above-listed nominal frequencies,yet still within the relevant operating band restrictions (e.g., withinthe relevant CBRS band).

The processing apparatus 802 is configured to execute at least onecomputer program stored in memory 804 (e.g., a non-transitory computerreadable storage medium); in the illustrated embodiment, such programsinclude a scanner portion of the CM application 806. Other embodimentsmay implement such functionality within dedicated hardware, logic,and/or specialized co-processors (not shown).

FIG. 8 b is a functional block diagram illustrating another embodimentof an exemplary Citizens Broadband radio Service Device (CBSD) includingWLAN AP functionality.

Business Methods—

The foregoing examples and embodiments may be utilized for methodsdirected to furthering business operations of service providers (e.g.,cable operators).

As one example, data services provided by an MSO (e.g., cable operator)via its Wi-Fi infrastructure may also be delivered to subscribers (andpotential customers) via the CBRS infrastructure, whether as an electiveoption or by “seamless” decision of the MSO (e.g., when WLAN coverage isspotty or limited in bandwidth, when cost or user-experienceconsiderations dictate, etc.). By increasing the availability of acomplementary service to extant Wi-Fi, subscribers are given moreoptions for connecting to the network (e.g., the Internet), including invenues or areas where Wi-Fi coverage may not be optimal. Given theirdifferent development philosophies and technical considerations, IEEEStd. 802.11 technology arguably has certain strengths and weaknesses ascompared to LTE-based solutions. One salient issue with LTE, aspreviously described, has been the requirement for use with licensedspectrum and an MNO. The present disclosure couples the priorrealization that LTE can be utilized with unlicensed spectrum (i.e., perLTE/LTE-A, LTE-LAA or LTE-U) and its inherent advantage in range over,inter alia, WLAN technologies such as Wi-Fi (802.11), with some of thestronger attributes of the “Wi-Fi” model (i.e., easy and free access,ubiquity, comparatively good performance), to provide MSO users andsubscribers with an optimal user experience. Users may feel that theservices they have subscribed to (or have utilized on a trial orincidental without being a subscriber) are highly accessible (i.e., goodnetwork coverage), thus improving customer experience and satisfaction,for example as compared to competing service providers. This isespecially true where the service is branded by the MSO; i.e.,associated directly with the MSO as opposed to the venue.

For instance, a Charter Communications-sponsored event at a venue may,as part of its available services, have Wi-Fi “stuffed beacons” aspreviously described herein advertising the availability of Charter CBRSat the event. Non-subscriber users who have their Wi-Fi enabled canreceive the information via the stuffed beacons (e.g., as a small pop-upor textual/ticker notification), and enabling the notified user tomerely click on a link to access the appropriate URL for furtherinformation or facilitating use of the CBRS services, rather thanutilize e.g., their non-CBRS LTE interface (i.e., used of licensedspectrum via their MNO). Assuming the provided CBRS services (e.g.,connectivity/persistence, data rate, etc.) to be comparatively good withrespect to other RATs such as WLAN, then user will be favorablyimpressed with the performance level and ease of connection.

It will be recognized that while certain aspects of the disclosure aredescribed in terms of a specific sequence of steps of a method, thesedescriptions are only illustrative of the broader methods of thedisclosure, and may be modified as required by the particularapplication. Certain steps may be rendered unnecessary or optional undercertain circumstances. Additionally, certain steps or functionality maybe added to the disclosed embodiments, or the order of performance oftwo or more steps permuted. All such variations are considered to beencompassed within the disclosure disclosed and claimed herein.

While the above detailed description has shown, described, and pointedout novel features of the disclosure as applied to various embodiments,it will be understood that various omissions, substitutions, and changesin the form and details of the device or process illustrated may be madeby those skilled in the art without departing from the disclosure. Thisdescription is in no way meant to be limiting, but rather should betaken as illustrative of the general principles of the disclosure. Thescope of the disclosure should be determined with reference to theclaims.

It will be further appreciated that while certain steps and aspects ofthe various methods and apparatus described herein may be performed by ahuman being, the disclosed aspects and individual methods and apparatusare generally computerized/computer-implemented. Computerized apparatusand methods are necessary to fully implement these aspects for anynumber of reasons including, without limitation, commercial viability,practicality, and even feasibility (i.e., certain steps/processes simplycannot be performed by a human being in any viable fashion).

APPENDIX I LTE frequency bands - TS 36.101 (Rel. 14 Jun. 2017) Downlink(MHz) Bandwidth Uplink (MHz) Duplex Equivalent Low Middle High DL/UL LowMiddle High spacing UMTS Band Name EARFCN¹ (MHz) EARFCN (MHz) band 12100 2110 2140 2170 60 1920 1950 1980 190 1 0 300 599 18000 18300 185992 1900 PCS 1930 1960 1990 60 1850 1880 1910 80 2 600 900 1199 1860018900 19199 3 1800+ 1805 1842.5 1880 75 1710 1747.5 1785 95 3 1200 15751949 19200 19575 19949 4 AWS-1 2110 2132.5 2155 45 1710 1732.5 1755 4004 1950 2175 2399 19950 20175 20399 5 850 869 881.5 894 25 824 836.5 84945 5 2400 2525 2649 20400 20525 20649 6 UMTS only 875 880 885 10 830 835840 45 6 2650 2700 2749 20650 20700 20749 7 2600 2620 2655 2690 70 25002535 2570 120 7 2750 3100 3449 20750 21100 21449 8 900 GSM 925 942.5 96035 880 897.5 915 45 8 3450 3625 3799 21450 21625 21799 9 1800 1844.91862.4 1879.9 35 1749.9 1767.4 1784.9 95 9 3800 3975 4149 21800 2197522149 10 AWS-1+ 2110 2140 2170 60 1710 1740 1770 400 10 4150 4450 474922150 22450 22749 11 1500 Lower 1475.9 1485.9 1495.9 20 1427.9 1437.91447.9 48 11 4750 4850 4949 22750 22850 22949 12 700 a 729 737.5 746 17699 707.5 716 30 12 5010 5095 5179 23010 23095 23179 13 700 c 746 751756 10 777 782 787 −31 13 5180 5230 5279 23180 23230 23279 14 700 PS 758763 768 10 788 793 798 −30 14 5280 5330 5379 23280 23330 23379 17 700 b734 740 746 12 704 710 716 30 5730 5790 5849 23730 23790 23849 18 800Lower 860 867.5 875 15 815 822.5 830 45 5850 5925 5999 23850 23925 2399919 800 Upper 875 882.5 890 15 830 837.5 845 45 19 6000 6075 6149 2400024075 24149 20 800 DD 791 806 821 30 832 847 862 −41 20 6150 6300 644924150 24300 24449 21 1500 Upper 1495.9 1503.4 1510.9 15 1447.9 1455.41462.9 48 21 6450 6525 6599 24450 24525 24599 22 3500 3510 3550 3590 803410 3450 3490 100 22 6600 7000 7399 24600 25000 25399 23 2000 S-band2180 2190 2200 20 2000 2010 2020 180 7500 7600 7699 25500 25600 25699 241600 L-band 1525 1542 1559 34 1626.5 1643.5 1660.5 −101.5 7700 7870 803925700 25870 26039 25 1900+ 1930 1962.5 1995 65 1850 1882.5 1915 80 258040 8365 8689 26040 26365 26689 26 850+ 859 876.5 894 35 814 831.5 84945 26 8690 8865 9039 26690 26865 27039 27 800 SMR 852 860.5 869 17 807815.5 824 45 9040 9125 9209 27040 27125 27209 28 700 APT 758 780.5 80345 703 725.5 748 55 9210 9435 9659 27210 27435 27659 29 700 d 717 722.5728 11 Downlink only 9660 9715 9769 30 2300 WCS 2350 2355 2360 10 23052310 2315 45 9770 9820 9869 27660 27710 27759 31 450 462.5 465 467.5 5452.5 455 457.5 10 9870 9895 9919 27760 27785 27809 32 1500 L-band 14521474 1496 44 Downlink only 32 9920 10140 10359 65 2100+ 2110 2155 220090 1920 1965 2010 190 65536 65986 66435 131072 131522 131971 66 AWS-32110 2155 2200 90/70 1710 1745 1780 400 66436 66886 67335 131972 132322132671 67 700 EU 738 748 758 20 Downlink only 67336 67436 67535 68 700ME 753 768 783 30 698 713 728 55 67536 67686 67835 132672 132822 13297169 2500 2570 2595 2620 50 Downlink only 67836 68086 68335 70 AWS-4 19952007.5 2020 25/15 1695 1702.5 1710 300 68336 68461 68585 132972 133047133121 252 Unlicensed 5150 5200 5250 100 Downlink only NII-1 255144255644 256143 255 Unlicensed 5725 5787.5 5850 125 Downlink only NII-3260894 261519 262143 TDD 33 TD 1900 1900 1910 1920 20 A(lo) 36000 3610036199 34 TD 2000 2010 2017.5 2025 15 A(hi) 36200 36275 36349 35 TD PCSLower 1850 1880 1910 60 B(lo) 36350 36650 36949 36 TD PCS Upper 19301960 1990 60 B(hi) 36950 37250 37549 37 TD PCS 1910 1920 1930 20 CCenter gap 37550 37650 37749 38 TD 2600 2570 2595 2620 50 D 37750 3800038249 39 TD 1900+ 1880 1900 1920 40 F 38250 38450 38649 40 TD 2300 23002350 2400 100 E 38650 39150 39649 41 TD 2500 2496 2593 2690 194 3965040620 41589 42 TD 3500 3400 3500 3600 200 41590 42590 43589 43 TD 37003600 3700 3800 200 43590 44590 45589 44 TD 700 703 753 803 100 4559046090 46589 45 TD 1500 1447 1457 1467 20 46590 46690 46789 46 TDUnlicensed 5150 5537.5 5925 775 46790 50665 54539 47 TD V2X 5855 58905925 70 54540 54890 55239 48 TD 3600 3550 3625 3700 150 55240 5599056739 ¹EUTRA Absolute RF Channel Number

What is claimed is:
 1. Computerized controller apparatus for use withina managed content delivery network, the computerized controllerapparatus being configured to manage wireless connectivity to one ormore wireless-enabled devices utilized within a prescribed premises, thecomputerized controller apparatus comprising: processor apparatus; andstorage apparatus in data communication with the processor apparatus andhaving a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, thenon-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising at least onecomputer program having a plurality of instructions stored thereon, theplurality of instructions configured to, when executed by the processorapparatus, cause the computerized controller apparatus to: detectcongestion within an unlicensed frequency band utilized by the one ormore wireless-enabled devices within the prescribed premises; based atleast on the detection, obtain access for the one or morewireless-enabled devices to a quasi-licensed frequency band; and causetransmission of data, the transmitted data configured to (i) causeallocation of at least a portion of the quasi-licensed frequency band tothe one or more wireless-enabled devices, and (ii) enable the one ormore wireless-enabled devices to utilize at least the portion of thequasi-licensed frequency band.
 2. The computerized controller apparatusof claim 1, wherein: the one or more wireless-enabled devices comprise aplurality of multi-RAT (Radio Access Technology) capablewireless-enabled devices of respective subscribers of the managedcontent delivery network; and the allocation of at least the portion ofthe quasi-licensed frequency band to the plurality of multi-RAT capablewireless-enabled devices comprises allocation of a plurality ofsub-bands within the quasi-licensed frequency band to respective ones ofthe plurality of multi-RAT capable wireless-enabled devices of therespective subscribers only.
 3. The computerized controller apparatus ofclaim 1, wherein: the one or more wireless-enabled devices comprise aplurality of multi-RAT (Radio Access Technology) capablewireless-enabled devices of respective subscribers of the managedcontent delivery network; and the allocation of at least the portion ofthe quasi-licensed frequency band to the plurality of multi-RAT capablewireless-enabled devices comprises causation of respective ones of theplurality of multi-RAT capable wireless-enabled devices to utilize acontention management protocol associated with one RAT to obtain accessto a respective portion of the quasi-licensed frequency band.
 4. Thecomputerized controller apparatus of claim 3, wherein the quasi-licensedfrequency band comprises at least a portion of one or more of Long-TermEvolution (LTE) bands 42 or
 43. 5. The computerized controller apparatusof claim 3, wherein: the one RAT comprises at least one of: (i) LTE-U(Long Term Evolution in unlicensed spectrum), and/or (ii) LTE-LAA (LongTerm Evolution, Licensed Assisted Access); and the contention managementprotocol comprises a listen-before-talk (LBT) protocol.
 6. Thecomputerized controller apparatus of claim 1, wherein: the detectioncomprises detection of reduced radio link performance associated with afirst data session established using a first wireless interface of atleast one of the one or more wireless-enabled devices; and the dataconfigured to enable the one or more wireless-enabled devices to utilizeat least the portion of the quasi-licensed frequency band comprises dataconfigured to enable the one or more wireless-enabled devices to utilizethe portion of the quasi-licensed frequency band via a second wirelessinterface, the utilization of the second wireless interface comprisingmaintenance of the first data session via at least one layer above aphysical layer (PHY).
 7. A computerized method for providing wirelessconnectivity to at least one wireless-enabled device, the computerizedmethod comprising: detecting a level of congestion within an unlicensedfrequency band utilized by the at least one wireless-enabled; based atleast on the detecting, selecting a quasi-licensed frequency band forthe at least one wireless-enabled device to access; causing allocationof at least a portion of the quasi-licensed frequency band to the atleast one wireless-enabled device; and enabling the at least onewireless-enabled device to utilize at least the portion of thequasi-licensed frequency band.
 8. The computerized method of claim 7,wherein: the enabling of the at least one wireless-enabled device toutilize at least the portion of the quasi-licensed frequency bandcomprises causing the at least one wireless-enabled device to transitionfrom a unlicensed wireless LAN (WLAN) interface to a wireless interfacecompliant with a Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP)-basedstandard; the unlicensed WLAN interface is configured to utilize anindustrial, scientific, and medical radio (ISM) band; and the wirelessinterface compliant with the 3GPP-based standard is configured toutilize a Citizens Broadband Radio Service (CBRS) band.
 9. Thecomputerized method of claim 7, further comprising: identifying a firstwireless access node apparatus then-currently configured to utilize thequasi-licensed frequency band; and identifying a second wireless accessnode apparatus (i) then-currently configured to utilize quasi-licensedfrequency band, and (ii) capable of supporting operation of the at leastone wireless-enabled device; wherein the causing of the allocation of atleast the portion of the quasi-licensed frequency band to the at leastone wireless-enabled device comprises causing transmission of data tothe first wireless access node apparatus, the transmitted dataconfigured to cause the at least one wireless-enabled device totransition from the first wireless access node apparatus to the secondwireless access node apparatus.
 10. The computerized method of claim 9,wherein the detecting of the congestion within the unlicensed frequencyband comprises receiving data relating to a level of performanceassociated with the at least one wireless-enabled device; and thecomputerized method further comprises: causing measurement of the levelof performance associated with the at least one wireless-enabled deviceto cause the receipt of the data relating thereto; based at least on thereceived data relating to the level of performance, causing at least oneof (i) the at least one wireless-enabled device, or (ii) the firstwireless access node apparatus, to implement one or more configurationchanges; and based at least on the implemented one or more configurationchanges failing to improve the level of performance relative to aprescribed threshold, evaluating available spectrum within thequasi-licensed frequency band.
 11. The computerized method of claim 7,wherein the causing of the allocation of at least the portion of thequasi-licensed frequency band to the at least one wireless-enableddevice comprises optimizing one or more resource allocations across adistribution network by combining Citizens Broadband Radio Service(CBRS) Spectrum Access System (SAS) channel allocations across two ormore CBRS small-cells.
 12. The computerized method of claim 7, whereinthe causing of the allocation of at least the portion of thequasi-licensed frequency band to the at least one wireless-enableddevice comprises: accessing a subscriber database to identify two ormore wireless-enabled user devices associated with respectivesubscribers of a network operator; and preferentially allocating aplurality of carriers first to the identified two or morewireless-enabled user devices before further allocation is conducted.13. The computerized method of claim 7, wherein the detecting of thelevel of the congestion within the unlicensed frequency band utilized bythe at least one wireless-enabled device comprises receiving dataindicative of multiple failed connection attempts by the least onewireless-enabled device to connect to a wireless access point using awireless interface configured for the unlicensed frequency band. 14.Computer readable apparatus comprising a non-transitory storage medium,the non-transitory storage medium comprising at least one computerprogram having a plurality of instructions, the plurality ofinstructions configured to, when executed on a processing apparatus,cause a computerized controller apparatus to: detect a level ofcongestion within an unlicensed frequency band utilized by one or morewireless-enabled devices; based at least on the detection, transmit datarepresentative of a request to a spectrum allocation entity for the oneor more wireless-enabled devices to access a quasi-licensed frequencyband; and cause transmission of data, the transmitted data configured to(i) cause allocation of at least a portion of the quasi-licensedfrequency band to the one or more wireless-enabled devices, and (ii)enable the one or more wireless-enabled devices to utilize at least theportion of the quasi-licensed frequency band.
 15. The computer readableapparatus of claim 14, wherein: the detection of the level of thecongestion within the unlicensed frequency band utilized by the one ormore wireless-enabled user devices comprises obtainment of data relatingto one or more measured RF parameters; and the plurality of instructionsare further configured to, when executed on the processing apparatus,cause the computerized controller apparatus to: based on the obtaineddata relating to the one or more measured RF parameters, determine thatunlicensed wireless LAN (WLAN) service to the one or morewireless-enabled devices is degraded below a prescribed level; obtainconfiguration data associated with the one or more wireless-enableddevices; and based on the configuration data, determine whether the oneor more wireless-enabled devices are compliant with at least one ThirdGeneration Partnership Project (3GPP) wireless standard.
 16. Thecomputer readable apparatus of claim 14, wherein: the detection of thelevel of the congestion within the unlicensed frequency band utilized bythe one or more wireless-enabled user devices comprises obtainment ofdata relating to one or more measured RF parameters; and the pluralityof instructions are further configured to, when executed on theprocessing apparatus, cause the computerized controller apparatus to:based on the obtained data relating to the one or more measured RFparameters, determine a reduced radio link performance associated with afirst data session established via use of a first wireless interface ofthe one or more wireless-enabled devices; and the transmitted datacomprises data configured to enable the one or more wireless-enableddevices to utilize the quasi-licensed frequency band via a secondwireless interface, the utilization of the second wireless interfacecomprising maintaining the first data session via at least one layerabove a physical (PHY) layer.
 17. The computer readable apparatus ofclaim 14, wherein: the one or more wireless-enabled devices comprise aplurality of multi-RAT (Radio Area Technology) capable wireless-enableddevices of respective ones of subscribers of a network operator; and theallocation of at least the portion of the quasi-licensed frequency bandto the one or more wireless-enabled devices comprises causation of therespective ones of the plurality of multi-RAT capable wireless-enableddevices to utilize a contention management protocol associated with atleast one RAT to obtain access to a respective portion of thequasi-licensed frequency band.
 18. The computer readable apparatus ofclaim 14, wherein: the detection of the level of the congestion withinthe unlicensed frequency band utilized by the one or morewireless-enabled user devices comprises obtainment of data from one ormore wireless-enabled user devices, the obtained data relating to one ormore measured RF parameters for at least one wireless access nodeapparatus; and the transmitted data is further configured to cause theone or more wireless-enabled devices to transition from the at least onewireless access node apparatus to at least one second wireless accessnode apparatus in order to maintain one or more QoS (quality of service)requirements invoked by a network operator.
 19. The computer readableapparatus of claim 14, wherein the transmission of the datarepresentative of the request to the spectrum allocation entitycomprises transmission of the data to a domain proxy (DP), the DPconfigured to communicate at least a portion of the data to a spectrumaccess system (SAS) to obtain access to the quasi-licensed frequencyband, the quasi-licensed frequency band comprising a Citizens BroadbandRadio Service (CBRS) band.
 20. The computer readable apparatus of claim14, wherein the detection of the congestion within the unlicensedfrequency band utilized by the one or more wireless-enabled user devicescomprises obtainment data from the one or more wireless-enabled userdevices, the obtained data relating to one or more measured RFparameters for at least one wireless access node apparatus, the obtaineddata relating to the one or more measured RF parameters for the at leastone wireless access node apparatus comprising data indicative ofmultiple failed connection attempts by the one or more wireless-enableddevices to connect to the at least one wireless access node apparatus,the at least one wireless access node apparatus comprising a wirelessaccess point.